Back to the start
by Madam Bluebird
Summary: Elizabeth and Henry meet under unusual circumstances in college and start to get to know each other.
1. Saviour

_A/N: I've read all of the Madam Secretary fanfiction that has been published on this page and decided to try my own. So here it goes. I don't have a beta and English is not my mother tongue, that's why there are probably some mistakes. Please be patient with me and feel free to leave a review :)_

Elizabeth stood in front of her dresser trying on a black mini skirt and high heels that looked a lot skimpier than the ones she usually wore. Adding some light make-up as well as dark red lipstick she critically examined her look in the mirror before deciding that it had to work for the special occasion. Turning back to her dresser she grabbed her hairbrush and started to brush her long blonde hair that she had styled in smooth waves falling down over her shoulders and adding just a bit of excitement to her elegant look. Elizabeth finally was content with her look so she turned to her roommate Becky.

"Do I look ok?" Elizabeth asked, still a bit unsure of herself.

"Are you kidding? You look sexy as hell! The guys are gonna go crazy about you! Let's go!"

The girls left and Elizabeth was glad to get out of their tiny dorm room for a fun night out. She had just succeeded her third week as a freshman at UVA and was ready to go out and celebrate her college life. Thankfully, Becky had some contacts and managed to get them into a sophmore party which was supposed to be much more fun than the ones held by the new students. Elizabeth felt a bit unsure about the theme though, because _SEXY LEGSy_ wasn't really her thing or the stuff she would usually wear. Still, it was supposed to be the party of the year so she could not miss it despite the rather uncommon theme.

Walking down the streets, the two girls could already hear the music's loud bases and the commotion of the people. Getting closer to the party, Becky kept waking faster and faster and Elizabeth was struggling to keep up. Eventually, they managed to make it through the crowds and step inside the huge house filled with people in the naughtiest outfits Elizabeth had ever seen. She couldn't keep her eyes away from these outfits, a shocked expression covering her face.

"Earth to Elizabeth, hello?!" Becky practically shouted into her ear to drown the music. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Yeah, sure."

Waiting for Becky to return, Elizabeth examined the room and the people around her. Being at a sophomore party, most of them were a couple years older than her and she only recognized a couple of familiar faces like John and Delia from her math class. She gave them a little smile in their direction, but both of them were far too drunk to notice. Once Becky returned, she started sipping on her coke with rum and chatted amicable with her. But her roommate quickly spotted some of her sophomore friends and headed towards their little gathering on the couch leaving Elizabeth behind. Feeling a bit lost, the pretty blonde made her way to the kitchen to fill up her coke. Stepping into the crowded room she was immediately surrounded by Delia whom she saw earlier.

"Hey girl! What's up? Never thought I would see you here tonight! Did you give yourself a study break?" Delia was one of those people always saying what was on their mind and Elizabeth really liked that about her.

"Yeah, Becky actually invited me and I couldn't say no to her, so now I'm here!"

"Well you sure as hell look sexy, but you definitely could have shown a bit more of your gorgeous legs. Just saying, if I had these killer legs I wouldn't wear any pants at all. Oh, excuse me they are playing my favorite song!" With these words Delia left and went back to the dance floor.

Half an hour later, after chatting with some people she knew and drowning some shots with them, Elizabeth made her way to the bathroom using the chance to freshen up and doing retouches on her make-up. Being satisfied with the result she made her way back to the common area already feeling the alcohol going to her head.

"Jeez, I should have gone slower and eaten something before coming here." Completely lost in her thoughts she didn't even see the guy walking towards her and they crashed into each other.

"I'm so sorry!" Elizabeth was trying to get back on her feet and on her way started recognizing the guy in front of her.

"Oh hey Elizabeth! I didn't even see you there." John was slurring these words and Elizabeth could tell that he was realy drunk. He couldn't even keep his body upright without supporting himself on the wall.

"I guess you didn't." She replied, unsure of what to do next. She looked around. They were standing in a small hallway next to the stairs. The music was only a blur up here and there was nobody else except the two of them.

"I should go back. My friends are probably already waiting for me downstairs." The young freshman tried to make her way downstairs, but John managed to stop her movement by stepping into her way.

"You know you look really sexy tonight. Your legs are all I can think about and I want you so badly." He leaned in a little closer pushing a stray of hair behind her dear.

"John, stop it! You're obviously drunk and have no idea what you're talking about. I'm gonna leave now."

She tried to get past him to the stairs, but he grabbed her arm and pushed her, her back slamming into the wall behind her. Elizabeth gasped and tried to push him away, but he was too heavy leaning against her.

John leaned in and whispered into her ear "Come on, I know you want it too. Don't be a bitch. You wouldn't have dressed like this if it wasn't for sex!"

By know, Elizabeth started to get really scared. She gathered all the energy she had and pushed him back and slapped his face with her right hand. Unfortunately, that made him only angrier and he put his hands on her shoulders pressing her down to the floor. Elizabeth could smell the alcohol in his breath and it disgusted her to no end. Tears started to form in her dark blue eyes, but she didn't allow them to fall down. Refusing to give up and showing him a sign of weakness. With all the effort she had, she started shouting for help, but nobody was there to hear her, the music being too loud. Elizabeth was shaking by now, her eyes widened in panic and her legs trying to kick John everywhere she could. But John didn't loose his grip on her instead he leaned down trying to kiss her dark red lips. Suddenly, there was a movement behind John and somebody grabbed him and slammed him into the wall. Elizabeth, being in too much of a shock, couldn't see everything but as she looked up, John was lying on the floor with a bleeding nose and tears in his eyes.

"For God's sake, you broke my fucking nose! I'm gonna kill you!" John winced in pain, one hand holding his nose and the other one shielding his body.

"Get out of here or I'll break more than just your nose, idiot!"

Elizabeth stared at the stranger that had appeared out of nowhere and saved her from things she didn't ever want to think about. She was still too much in shock to realize what had just happened, but when the stranger offered his hand, she gratefully took it and got up from the floor. Her body was still shaking but her mind started to clear slowly.

"Hey, are you alright? Did he hurt you?" Her saviour seriously worried about her.

"I guess... I guess I'm alright." She couldn't even recognize her own voice anymore. It was just high pitched and different to her usual lower voice. With shaky hands Elizabeth tried to straighten her outfit before she locked eyes with the young man in front of her.

"Thanks for... for stepping in. I... I don't know what would have happened if...you know... Just, thank you."

"Of course I stepped in. That's what everyone would have done in my situation. I'm just sorry I didn't hear you sooner, the music downstairs was just too loud. By the way, my name is Henry." He held out his hand to her and she shook it.

"Well, thanks again Henry! I'm Elizabeth."

"It's nice to meet you Elizabeth. I mean not under the circumstances, but... you know... " Henry's cheeks turned crimson and suddenly he looked a bit unsure of himself.

Elizabeth couldn't hide the grin from her face. "It's nice to meet you too, Henry. You really saved me and my dignity tonight and I'm more than grateful for that."

Suddenly she felt her legs getting weak, the adrenaline leaving her tiny body.

"I don't feel so good, I... everything is spinning..." Elizabeth's face paled and she was heavily leaning against the wall behind her.

"Just sit down for a moment, I'm gonna bring you a glass of water." Henry startet turning towards the stairs, but Elizabeth quickly grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"Please don't leave. I don't want to be alone right now. I just... Please stay." Elizabeth surprised herself with these words, but she simply was scared to death to be alone at this party again.

Henry quietly sat down beside her, his hand never leaving hers. He understood what she was going through and he was more than willing to give her mental support.

After a few minutes he looked at the young freshman. Her head leaned against the wall, eyes closed. Henry was glad to see that the color had returned to her face making her look like a sleeping angel. He couldn't turn his eyes away from her, just sitting there and mesmerizing her made his heart beat faster. She suddenly opened her eyes and blushed realizing he was watching her. Elizabeth gave him a coy smile and he smiled back at her.

"I should probably go home. I'm definitely not in party mood anymore. All I want to do is crawl into bed and go to sleep."

"I totally get that. Are you here with anyone? I don't want you leave by yourself."A worried look crossed Henry's features.

"Well, I came here with my roommate, but she probably already left with some guy... But I live in the dorms close by, so I should be fine." She slowly got up, still not trusting her legs completely.

"Ok, then let's go. I'm gonna walk you home. There's no way I'm going to let you walk home by yourself in the middle of the night. Especially not after tonight!" He grabbed her hand and made his way downstairs with her following behind him. Once they made it through the crowds and stepped into the fresh air, he quickly let go of her hand, almost smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry, I didn't want to loose you in there. It would have been impossible to find you again."

Elizabeth couldn't keep grinning. "I don't mind. Let's just go home." And with those words she started walking into the night with Henry close by her side.


	2. Getting to know you

They walked down the street, their hands almost touching. The first few minutes, neither of them dared to say anything too afraid to destroy the peace and quiet of the night. But at some point, Henry couldn't hold it back anymore.

"Are you really doing ok? Nothing is hurt?" He glanced at her and tried to get a good read of her face.

"You mean except from my pride? No, seriously though, I'm alright. I promise. Just a little shaken I guess." She turned towards him and gave him a reassuring smile. "You know, it's probably my fault anyway. I usually don't wear stuff like that I just thought since I'm new here I should dress up a bit..."

"Elizabeth stop it! This is not your fault! No outfit in the world is an excuse for harassing somebody. And by the way, I think your outfit covers a lot more than the stuff the other girls wore. The guy was just being an idiot."

"John is actually pretty nice. I mean he obviously wasn't tonight. I don't know what has gotten into him."

" Oh, you know the guy?" Henry tried to hide the surprise on his face.

"Yeah, I kinda do. John is in my math class, but I've talked to him only a couple of times. I'd never think he'd be one of those guys...I guess I was wrong."

They continued walking in an uncomfortable silence, so Henry decided to change the subject.

"So you said you're new here?" Henry asked, trying to get to know her better.

"Yeah, I'm a freshman and just came here three weeks ago. I actually really like it. I mean, not the party scene obviously, but UVA has its own charm. What about you? Are you a sophomore?" Elizabeth couldn't hide her curiosity. She was really impressed by him being such a gentleman and walking her home and wanted to know more about her saviour.

"No, I'm actually a grad student. I'm on scholarship doing ROTC and I'll deploy next year. I only went to this party, because one of my friends begged me to come. But I guess it's a lucky thing I did."

"It sure is." They were standing in front of her building now; Elizabeth unsure of what to do next. But before she could say anything else, Henry opened the door the door for her and entered behind her.

"I'm gonna walk you to your room, make sure you make it to your room safely."

"Thanks Henry. We're almost there."

When they stood in front of her door she turned around to face him; their faces only centimeters away from each other. Elizabeth slightly shivered feeling his breath on her delicate skin. Her arms were covered in goosebumps and she couldn't hide the gasp that left her lips. Only now did she realize what a handsome man Henry was. His kind eyes looking deep into hers made her heart flutter.

"Thank you for walking me home and for... You know, your help in general tonight. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Of course. It was a pleasure to meet you and I hope what happened tonight won't change your opinion about UVA, because it honestly is a wonderful place. Anyway, I better head home. It's pretty late."

Before Henry could turn around and leave, Elizabeth grabbed his hand to stop him and gave him a quick hug. Henry embraced her with his muscular arms and she could feel his well trained body around hers. He took in the smell of her vanilla scent making his heart beat faster. Before they knew what was happening, the hug was over and Elizabeth turned around to open her dorm room; trying to hide the blush on her cheeks.

Before she stepped in though, she gave him a quick glance back.

"Goodnight Henry."

"Goodnight Elizabeth."

The door closed and the pretty blonde was out of his sight. A sigh left his body and he couldn't ignore the happiness that surrounded him. Henry slowly turned and walked down the hall to exit the building. On his way home, he couldn't think about anything else than Elizabeth: her long lean legs that went on for miles, her smooth blonde hair, her scent, her deep blue eyes, but most importantly her beautiful smile. Henry was never one to believe in love at first sight, but he knew that he was falling for that girl. Realizing that made him even angrier at John. He just couldn't believe how someone could treat a woman like that, especially someone like Elizabeth. At that moment, he promised to himself that he would protect her at all costs. No matter what.


	3. Summer smoothies

A/N: Hi guys! Thanks for the nice reviews. I got lots of email alerts but somehow only few reviews are showing? Anyway, THANKS! I have no idea where this story is going, but at the moment I have a lot of time to write and I feel quiet inspired. So here we go again!

Elizabeth woke up the next morning feeling a bit nauseous. Remembering the events of last night, she groaned and turned to take a look at Becky's bed, but it was still empty. Suddenly, the thought of Henry came to her mind. She really liked him, but he probably didn't see more in her than a dump freshman, especially after the compromising situation he had find her in last night. It felt like they were connecting on their way home, but he was probably only being polite to her. Elizabeth looked at the watch. It was only eight o'clock. Jeez, why was she up that early on a Sunday? Deciding that there was nothing important to do today, she turned around and went back to sleep.

Henry woke up around noon and let his mind drift for a moment. He thought about his friends last night who went crazy about the girls and their tiny outfits. He shook his head in disbelief; he just couldn't understand why everything they did had to be about sex. Sometimes he truly felt like an outsider being the only one not interested in quickies. Henry always pictured himself in a long term relationship, instead of flings he was looking for true love. He quickly got out of bed and went directly to his tiny bathroom to take a shower. Being on scholarship and doing ROTC allowed him to have his own small apartment which he was never more glad about than now. He couldn't imagine to share a room with some party idiots like John and listen to another guy having sex with complete strangers. He was done with that and didn't need the party thing anymore. His life would become extremely serious very soon, so he focused all his energy on his studies and training to prepare for the harder times. After stepping out of the shower, he stood in front of the mirror to shave and brush his teeth. He examined his body being content with the training results. In about a year and a half, he had to be at his best that's why he was going for a run as much as possible. Not today though, he was far too tired. Instead he decided to go for a walk in the park to enjoy the nature on this beautiful day.

Soon after noon, Elizabeth decided to go for a run to get all the negative energy out of her body. She was still angry at John and unsure of how to react when she was going to see him in class on Monday. She put on black sport shorts and a blue top over her sports bra. With her hair in a ponytail, she left the room and locked the door; Becky was still not there. Elizabeth did a quick warm up and then started running as fast as she could towards the park. Running for several minutes, and only slowing down when the lack of oxygen started to make her dizzy again. Still feeling a bit angry, she jogged around the park for another twenty minutes until she felt in peace with herself. Slowing down and locking at her watch, Elizabeth almost bumped into a guy crossing the path.

"Sorry, didn't see you there." Looking up, she saw that the guy was no stranger to her. "Henry, hi! What a surprise!"

"Hey Elizabeth! How are you doing?" Henry couldn't hide the grin on his face. She looked so cute with some stray hair in her sweaty face and still out of breath from running.

"Well, now I'm good. I just had to clear my mind and get everything out. How are you?" She was kind of nervous to talk to Henry after last night and didn't know where she stood with him.

"I'm great, thanks. I was just taking a walk to enjoy this beautiful day out here. And you know, I just love the park on Sundays. It's so quiet and peaceful without all the students hanging out here."

"I totally get that. Same for me." Elizabeth didn't know what to do next, so she looked into Henry's face giving him a warm smile.

"I was just gonna walk to _Annie's cafe_ to get a smoothie. Do you want to join me?"

"I'm not sure if..." Well aware of her sweaty look she felt a bit self-conscious but before she could finish the sentence, Henry jumped in.

"I mean, it's close to your dorm room and the smoothies are insane! Have you ever had one?"

"No, I haven't yet." Elizabeth replied.

"Well then you have to come. It's the highlight of my week. Come on, it's just five minutes in that direction." Henry tried not to sound too needy, but he really wanted her to come.

"Ok, sure. I guess I can't miss out on that and I could use a drink."

They started walking next to each other like they did the night before. Henry couldn't stop smiling like a fool and even Elizabeth visibly relaxed. In his eyes, she looked even more beautiful without make-up and her messy ponytail made her look like a young girl. The sports clothes and running shoes underlined her slim figure and he could see the muscles flexing in her legs.

"So you come here regularly?" Elizabeth was curious to find out more about the guy who just invited her to drink smoothies with him.

"Yeah, I usually try to go running once a day but after last night, I just couldn't do it today."

"Well, I get that. It was hard enough to get out of bed. But running always helps me to relax, so it was definitely worth it." They walked together in a comfortable silence for a bit before Henry's curiosity got the better of him.

"So Elizabeth, what brings you to UVA?"

"Well, it's a great university with a good reputation. And I think that's what my parents would have wanted for me." Elizabeth quickly blinked away the tears but Henry noticed that something was up.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up a painful topic." He regretted for asking but she quickly interjected.

"No, it's fine. Nothing to apologize for. I've come to terms with living without my parents but you know, it still hurts."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Henry tried to make the best out of the situation, but he didn't quite know how.

"Not really. What about you? Why did you come to UVA?" Elizabeth tried to change the subject and Henry got that.

"Well, the scholarship made the decision pretty easy. I come from a huge family in Pittsburgh and I couldn't afford to pay for college on my own. So yeah, but it has been pretty amazing ever since." They arrived at the cafe and Henry ordered them two smoothies as well as a blueberry cupcake for Elizabeth. He returned to their table and gave her the cupcake.

"Henry, you shouldn't have. Thanks." Elizabeth blushed because of Henry's nice gesture.

"Come on, after the night and the run you just had, you should really eat something."

They stayed in the cafe for about an hour talking about Henry's family, Elizabeth's aspirations and life in general. Both of them felt completely at ease and they found out, that they shared some of the same interests. When it was time to go, Henry offered to walk her back to her dorm and Elizabeth agreed, admiring once again how much of a gentleman he was. Arriving at her door, Henry didn't want her to leave yet and for a moment they just stared into each other's eyes.

" I would love to see you again, Elizabeth."

" I would love that too. Very much." Elizabeth didn't dare to look into his eyes, her cheeks already turning crimson.

"How about I'll take you out to the movies on Wednesday?" Henry was hoping she was going to say yes. He really wanted to see her again.

"Unfortunately, I can't." Henry's heart stopped for a moment.

"Why not?" His attempt to not sound desperate failed completely.

"My roommate Becky is throwing a Jane Austen ball and it looks like I have to attend. But how about Friday? Are you free?" Elizabeth smiled softly at him.

"Friday is perfect. How about I pick you up at seven and we can go out and have dinner first?" Henry tried to make the most out of it.

"Sounds good. I'm gonna see you on Friday."

"Great. Goodbye Elizabeth, have a nice week!"

"I'll try. Bye and thanks for the smoothie."With these words she stepped into her dorm being happier than ever. She couldn't wait for Friday and so couldn't he.


	4. Oscar Wilde at a pet funeral

On Monday morning, Elizabeth was on her way to class feeling a bit nervous about the thought of seeing John. She slowly entered the seminar and made her way towards her usual seat. On her way, she bypassed some of her friends and she greeted them, among them stood Delia.

"Elizabeth, hey! Where have you been? I was looking for you at the party but couldn't find you so I figured you went home... Is it true?" Elizabeth froze to the spot. Delia couldn't know, could she? No one except Henry and John was there, but maybe one of them started some gossiping?

"Is what true?" She barely managed to bring out the question.

"Come on you know what I'm talking about!" Elizabeth felt the sweat gathering on her forehead. "Did Becky seriously hook up with Josh?" Elizabeth felt a sigh of relief. She had totally forgotten about the big news that currently made its round around campus. Becky was so excited when she came home Sunday morning telling her that it was the best night of her life.

"Yeah, it's true. But you better talk to her about it yourself. I bet she wants to tell you every detail. She couldn't even stop talking for the past 24 hours." While Elizabeth was talking to Delia, John quietly entered the room trying not to gain any attention. Unfortunately, Delia killed that idea by screaming at him across the room.

"John, OMG! What happened to you? You look like you were beaten up!" Elizabeth quickly turned around, she hadn't seen him until now. John shortly looked at her before averting his gaze away from her. Before he could answer Delia's question, the teacher walked into the room and they disbanded their little gathering. Elizabeth turned her concentration on the teacher and quickly forgot about John sitting in the same room with her. After class, she left the room with the other students being lost in her thoughts about the recent class. Suddenly she jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to talk to you about the party." John locked around him hoping that nobody was listening to them.

"I wanted to apologize for my behaviour. It was totally unappropriate and wish I could take it back. It's just, you know, I had too much to drink and I couldn't think clearly anymore. Please, I beg you, don't go to the police."

Elizabeth was more than shocked. So that's why he was apologizing to her, because he didn't want her to go to the police.

"You know, a sincere apology would have made it. But begging me of not going to the police is anything but a sincere apology. And I don't think I owe you any kind of information whether I'm going to the police or not. Guys like you make this world a living hell for girls like me. I just wish you would see the bigger picture instead and think of the consequences before you let your actions speak." With that, she turned around and walked away. She didn't want to deal with him right now, neither did she have the time. Maybe being scared of her going to the police would teach him a lesson.

On Wednesday afternoon Elizabeth was more stressed out than ever. She was sitting in her dorm trying to finish an essay that had to be turned in the next morning.

"Elizabeth, what are you still doing here? We have to go or I'll be late to my own ball!" Becky was already in full costume, anxiously waiting for her.

"Go ahead, Becky! I'll be there once I've finished that damn essay. I promise." Elizabeth offered and Becky didn't take long to leave the room. Elizabeth was glad to finally have the room to herself so she could properly concentrate on writing her paper.

In the meantime, Henry couldn't stop thinking about Elizabeth. He wanted to see her so badly and he remembered that she was going to the Jane Austen ball today. Maybe he should just drop by? No, he couldn't do that, could he? He didn't want to seem like a stalker but he would give everything to just see her. After battling with his mind for a couple more minutes he decided to give it a try. He went to his friend's apartment and knocked on his door.

"Henry McCord, what can I do for you?" Tom Hodgkins was one of his best friends and they always hung out together.

"Do you by any chance have a costume that fits for a Pride and prejudice ball?" Henry tried not to be too embarrassed, but he simply couldn't show up there in normal clothes.

"Man, I'm not even gonna ask you what you're up to, but I hope you're not going crazy! Just come in and give me a sec, I might have some stuff that you can wear." Tom opened the door a bit wider for him and Henry entered his apartment. After going through different wardrobes and cartons, it seemed like Tom finally found what he was looking for. "There we go, pale. That's the best I can do."

Henry took the clothes and thanked him before quickly going back to his room and changing his clothes. Henry critically examined his outfit. He couldn't believe he was wearing that looking like Oscar Wilde at a pet funeral. But before he could change his mind, he left the room and made his way to the party. It was open to the public, but Henry doubted that any of his friends would be there. Walking into the ballroom, he hoped that nobody would recognize him. Looking around, trying to find Elizabeth he couldn't help himself but stare at all the costumes. Now, he really hoped that none of his friends was going to see him here! He slowly made his way around the ballroom, but he simply couldn't find Elizabeth anywhere. Did she changed her mind or did she lie to him? Maybe she had other plans for tonight, with someone else? Suddenly, there were so many thoughts and questions in his head making him realize that he barely knew her at all. He didn't even know if Elizabeth was single or seeing someone. Henry felt embarrassed to make such a fool of himself. How could he go after her so badly if he didn't even know her yet? Looking down at his costume he sighed loudly and made his way towards the exit, hoping that nobody witnessed this embarrassing moment in his life. Henry promised to himself to never talk about this in his future life, _barely did he know that it was Elizabeth who he was going to tell the story to._

A/N: This was inspired by Elizabeth and Henrys phonecall when he was working for Murphy station in Pakistan.


	5. Date night

It was finally Friday and Elizabeth was waiting for Henry to arrive. She had only put on some light make-up, aware of the fact that Henry had asked her out while she was wearing her sports stuff and being all sweaty. Her blonde hair was naturally falling down her shoulders giving a stunning contrast to her blue eyes and blue top she wore. Not knowing where Henry was going to take her, she decided on skinny black jeans and sneakers making her always feel comfortable. Checking her appearance in the mirror one last time, she heard a knock on the door. She grabbed her bag and opened the door, while saying goodbye to Becky who was still mad at her for not showing up at the ball. Stepping in front of the door, Henry greeted her by embracing her in a hug and pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. She could feel his strong arms around her and his lips on her cheek made her heart beat faster.

"Hi, you look really nice." He said, taking a step back and looking at her.

"Thanks, so do you." She appreciated him wearing a white shirt that underlined his trained body.

"Shall we go?"

"Lead the way." She followed him to his car and couldn't help herself but stare at his well-formed ass. Being the gentleman he was, Henry opened the door to the passenger seat for her gesturing her to get in. She thanked him and watched him walking to his side of the car. Once he got in, he started the motor and drove them into the night. While driving she turned her upper body to face Henry. "So where are we going?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

"I'm taking you to my favorite restaurant here in Virginia. The place is not very high society, but the food is incredible. You'll see." He quickly looked at her before turning his eyes back on the street.

"Sounds great. Unfortunately, I haven't been out much yet, so it's nice to actually get out of campus. I mean not that I'm complaining. I love UVA, but sometimes I just want to go out and explore, you know." She sighed heavily and Henry couldn't hide his chuckle.

"I do get that. I couldn't get enough of my freedom once I moved here from Pittsburgh. If you want too, I can show you some of my other favorite places as well someday." He expectedly glanced at her.

"I would like that very much." She grinned at him.

Once arriving at the restaurant, Henry led her to a secluded table in a corner of the restaurant. After ordering and waiting for dinner, they had an animated conversation about Augustine and Henry was surprised how well informed she had been about the rather uncommon theme. On the other hand, Elizabeth was impressed with Henry's knowledge about religion and she thought it gave him a mysterious aura. At some point during dinner, Henry stared at her for several seconds without saying anything making her feel uncomfortable. She stopped eating and looked up at him. "Do I have something in my teeth?" She joked to cover up the silence.

"No, sorry I was just thinking." Henry sheepishly said.

"Can I ask about what?" He didn't quite know how to bring up the topic without offending her in any way. Finally, he decided to just go for it.

"I was thinking about the other night. You know, about John. Did you decide on what you gonna do?" Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She didn't really want to talk about it, but it looked like she had to. She tried to avoid the topic by answering his question with a question.

"What do you mean?" She didn't dare to look into his eyes.

"Come on, Elizabeth. You know what I mean! You shouldn't let him get away with this. He harassed you for God's sake!" Henry felt himself getting angry.

Elizabeth stayed silent for a moment, not sure of what to say. Henry felt her hesitating and immediately apologized. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I just ... I think John should be punished or at least somebody should teach him a lesson. It's only fair to you." Elizabeth still hasn't looked up. "You know what, never mind. Forget I brought that up!"

After a long moment of silence, she finally locked eyes with him. "Henry, I appreciate your advice. I really do, but I'm still new here and I simply don't want any attention right now. Please understand that."

"I totally get that. But still, if you change your mind I want you to know that I'll be here to support you, not just as a witness but also as your friend." He put his hand on hers and slightly squeezed it. They finished their dinner talking about lighter themes and getting to know each other better before heading off to the movies. She was glad that Henry had chosen a romantic comedy instead of an action movie, even though he probably only did that for her. Henry also bought them ice cream and popcorn and Elizabeth couldn't be more excited to have her favorite dessert after a fabulous dinner. While they were getting comfortably seated Henry turned to her.

"You think you're gonna manage to eat all of that?" He gestured towards the food and simply couldn't believe that she would make it.

"Believe me, popcorn and ice cream are my downfall. I'm not gonna let that get wasted." She smiled at him and he got lost in her beautiful blue eyes. The movie started, so they turned to face the screen. Elizabeth thought it was quite funny, but her thoughts were slipping to the man next to her. She could feel his arm slightly leaning against hers, already giving her little butterflies in her stomach. At a particular funny scene, Elizabeth watched him laughing and thought it was the most beautiful thing she's ever seen. Eventually, Henry did catch her starring making her blush slightly. He grinned at Elizabeth and casually put his arm around her shoulders while turning his attention back to the movie. Deep insight though, Henry didn't feel as calm as he was letting on though. Not being sure about that gesture, he expected her to move away or shriek, but to his surprise she leaned in closer to rest her head against his shoulder. They stayed in this position for the rest of the movie, none of them daring to move. Even when the credits were rolling, they waited until they were left alone before making their way to the exit. Henry used the chance and wrapped his hand around Elizabeth's without her resisting. They slowly walked back to the car while deep in discussion about the movie. Even on the way back to campus, they were still taking about the movie and Henry couldn't help but admire her structured argumentation. Arriving back at UVA, Elizabeth hesitated to get out of the car not wanting the night to end yet. Henry playfully squeezed her hand "Do you want to take a walk in the park?". Elizabeth gladly accepted and got out of the car. Once out of the car, he quickly took her hand in his again to intertwine their fingers. For a moment, they just enjoyed the silence and the darkness surrounding them.

"Tonight was really fun. I like spending time with you, Elizabeth." He gazed at her with an expectant look in his eyes.

"Yeah, it was fun. And you're not too bad yourself." She playfully slapped his shoulder and gave him a wicked grin. Before she could continue to make her way through the park, Henry tugged her hand and made her turn around. Taking a step closer, she could feel his hot breath on her face. He looked deeply into her eyes and she couldn't do anything but stare back. She felt an exciting tingle going through her body. Henry slowly neared his face to hers and finally descended his lips on hers. Their lips softly touched, slowly getting to know each other. It quickly got heated though, their tongues dancing together and not getting enough of each other. Henry had his hands on her waist the whole time while she was caressing his neck and cupping his cheek. After several minutes, they finally pulled apart for air and Elizabeth felt her face turning crimson. "That was incredible", she managed to say.

"You're incredible." Henry replied with such honesty that made her heart melt. They made their way back to the campus, his hand never leaving hers. Elizabeth couldn't be happier about their date night and she didn't want it to end yet, so she gladly accepted when he offered to walk her inside. Walking inside, Henry slipped his arm around her waist and stayed there until they arrived at her dorm. Turning around to face him, she gave him a timid smile.

"Tonight was amazing, Henry. Thanks."

Not missing a beat he replied with a coy look on his face. "Thanks for being my date. Do you think you want to continue this someday?"

"I'd love to." And she really meant it.

"Great. I'm gonna kiss you goodnight now." He leaned in to cup her cheek and sucked her lips before sliding his tongue inside. Elizabeth moaned at the sensation and grabbed his back to close the gap between them. After a moment, he pulled back only to gasp for air before pressing a final sweet kiss on her lips.

"Goodnight Elizabeth. Sleep well."

"Goodnight Henry."

She watched him disappear into the night until she finally turned around to enter her dorm, still left in thought. That was the best night she ever had and she could already feel herself falling for Henry.


	6. Be mine

A/N: _You guys, THANKS a lot for all your nice reviews. I love reading them! Spamez actually asked to continue the John storyline, so I put that under consideration and tried to wrap that up in this chapter. Here we go!_

The next few days had been a blur for Elizabeth. She couldn't stop thinking about her date with Henry but on the other hand, she was still unsure about John. She knew Henry would be disappointed if she didn't do anything, hell, Elizabeth would be disappointed in herself. She simply didn't want to go to the police, not wanting to draw too much attention to her in fear of losing her reputation. Today tough, she finally decided on what to do. At noon, she went to the cafeteria in order to find Henry, but she couldn't see him anywhere. Turning around, Elizabeth made her way to the library to see if he was hiding there, but before she could make her way through the crowds, he suddenly bumped into her.

"Hey, Elizabeth! How are you? I haven't seen you for a while!" Trying to hide his excitement, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to a smaller hallway where they could have some quiet.

"Hi, I was just looking for you. I'm good, thanks." She leaned against the wall looking up to him.

"You were looking for me?" He couldn't hide his grin.

"Yeah, I did. I... uhh, I made a decision, you know... about John. And I kinda need your help?" She played with his fingers while holding his hand.

"You know you can count on me. Whatever you need, I'll help. So what did you decide on?" He slightly pressed their intertwined hands.

"I'm not gonna go to the police, because I don't think John deserves that, but I decided to tell the Dean and maybe she will give him a warrant. Would you mind to come with me, you know as a witness?"

"Of course I will. As your friend and witness. Do you want to go right now?" He asked while grazing her arm.

"The sooner the better, right?" She ignored her fluttering heat caused by his sweet gesture and they made their way to the Dean. Explaining everything to her and having her word for dealing with John, a relieved Elizabeth left her office feeling guilty for not telling her earlier. Henry came up behind her, resting his arm around her waist.

"Are you ok?" Henry worriedly furrowed his brows.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just feeling bad for not doing this earlier. Thanks for your help though. I really appreciate it." She quickly squeezed his hand that rested on her waistline.

"Sure. Do you have plans for the rest of the day or do you want to come to the park with me? I could show you my favorite spot." He coyly winked at her and she blushed.

"Well, I planned on continuing my essay on the number pi and its relevance in life..." She could play this game too.

"Come on, don't make me beg you." He now sounded a lot more desperate.

"Yeah, ok. The park sounds good." Elizabeth never planned on finishing that essay today anyway, but Henry didn't have to know that. They made their way to the park with Henry leading the way. They walked a secluded path until they arrived on top of a hill from where they could watch over the whole campus and park.

"Wow, this place is beautiful." Elizabeth couldn't get enough of the view.

"I told you so. Not as beautiful as my view though." He smiled devilishly, already sitting in the grass he had a wonderful view of her standing in front of him. Elizabeth just rolled her eyes at his comment and sat down next to him. She felt like she had known him for a long time, even though they only met ten days ago.

"What's your favorite color?" Henry suddenly asked her.

"What? Why do you want to know that?" She was kind of confused.

"I just want to know. So?" He looked at her raising his brow.

"It's blue." She still didn't know where this was going.

"Don't look at me like this. I just want to get to know you, all of you." He laughed at the frown on her face.

"You're a dork, but I guess it's cute." She said.

"Did you just call me cute?"

"No, I didn't. I mean, I did but..." before she could finish that sentence Henry stopped her.

"I think you're pretty cute yourself." He leaned over to her and kissed her on the lips while putting an arm around her shoulders. Elizabeth smiled at him before leaning in and returning the kiss. At first, she sucked his upper lip but she quickly asked for entrance with her tongue. Henry gladly accepted and soon, their tongues were dancing together. His lips felt soft on hers sucking exactly in the right places. When the need for air was getting too strong, they separated their lips from each other, but still staying close.

"I really like you, Elizabeth." Henry stared into her deep blue eyes.

"I like you ok too." She said it with a coy grin on her face, but he knew that she was serious.

"Do you want to stay here till the sunset? It's really pretty." He gently caressed her cheek.

"Sure. I don't have anything else planned anyway, so I might as well stay here." Henry tried to look hurt at her words, but he knew that she was only joking. "No, seriously, I would love to stay here with you."

They lay back on the grass watching the blue sky getting darker while taking about everything and nothing at all. Occasionally they turned towards each other smiling foolishly at each other. Elizabeth had never been that happy in her life, but she still wasn't sure if they were serious, so she just had to ask.

"So, I guess since you've been spending so much time with me... you know... I... ugh..." She still wasn't sure how to bring it up.

"Elizabeth, come on. Just say it." Henry had no idea where this was going.

"Are you seeing anyone else? I mean, are you dating other people?"She immediately felt her cheeks turn crimson.

"What? Of course not. I would never do that to you! Wait, are you seeing other guys?" He looked at her in shock.

"No, I would never! I was just... I didn't know or still don't know where we are standing. Because I really like you, a lot."

"So do I." Henry said. "Look, I'm not one of those _hook up guys._ I'm not looking for an one night stand, I want something serious and I thought... Well, I guess I thought we were on the same page about that?" He sat up to stare down at her, impatiently waiting for her answer.

"Yeah, we are." She smiled sheepishly and hold her hand out to pull him down to her. " Now, after we have figured that out, how about you come back down here and kiss me?"

Henry shifted himself over her and slowly kissed her. "So, do you actually wanna be my girlfriend?" Henry whispered into her ear making her giggle.

"I would love for you to be my boyfriend." She said back while grazing the nape of his neck.

"Good." And with that he leaned down one final time to kiss her before getting up and walking her back to her dorm, the air getting rather chilly without sunshine.

Arriving at her dorm, Henry pulled her closer but Elizabeth didn't feel like letting him leave yet. "Do you want to come inside and meet my roommate?"

"Sure." Henry hoped that Becky wouldn't bring up the ball, but she probably hadn't seen him anyway.

Upon entering, Elizabeth introduced the both of them to each other. "Becky, this is my boyfriend Henry. Henry, meet my roommate Becky." They shook hands and talked shortly before Becky had to leave for a party. Fortunately, she didn't recognize Henry from the ball and he was more than grateful for that!

"I better keep going as well. I have an early class in the morning. How about I call you tomorrow?" Henry asked while stroking her arm lightly.

"Sounds good. Goodnight boyfriend, sleep well."

"Goodnight girlfriend, sweet dreams." He leaned in giving her a sweet goodbye kiss, barely touching her lips before leaving her little dorm. Elizabeth fell back on her bed and sighed heavily. She couldn't be happier about Henry being her boyfriend.

A/N: By the way, if you like this story, you should really read _"Something Blooming"_ if you haven't done that yet. It's one of my favorite stories!


	7. Movie night

Elizabeth and Delia sat with two other friends in the cafeteria, chatting about the latest gossip while enjoying their lunch. She was just listening to Delia complaining about her current boyfriend when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around she looked into Henry's hazel brown eyes and a goofy grin on his face.

"Hi, can I steel you for a minute?" Henry whispered, but all of her friends were attentively listening anyway.

"Yeah, sure. By the way, these are my friends Delia, Jodie and Natalie." Elizabeth slightly gestured at them.

"Nice to meet you." Henry said while giving them a quick smile.

"Nice to meet you too!" Delia replied for all of them while winking at Elizabeth.

"Ok, so I'll see you guys tomorrow night! Bye." With that, Elizabeth grabbed Henry's hand and they left the cafeteria to walk around campus. When they were finally alone, she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a searing kiss.

"I've missed you. I feel like we haven't seen each other much lately."

"Well, that's because you're always hanging out with your girls instead of me. And by the way, we just went to that Frampton concert two days ago. And I called you last night." Henry chuckled at her.

"Oh, you're right. I'm not too clingy, am I? I just want to perfectly balance us and my friends." Elizabeth looked at him sheepishly.

"I know you do. Just so you know, I like it when you're clingy. It's cute!" He reassured her. In the last three weeks, they have seen each other a couple of times on campus and went to dates during the weekends. But Elizabeth didn't want to fall behind on her studies or her friends, so she didn't have as much time for Henry as she would liked to have. Giving him another sweet kiss, she asked "What did you want to talk about?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to come over to my place tonight? I was planning on making you dinner and we could watch a movie afterwards." Henry smiled at her and she smiled back.

"I'd love that. What time do you want me to be there?"

"How about seven?"

"I'll be there." Taking a look at her watch she quickly said goodbye to him and headed to her next class. Henry watched walking her off and he couldn't be happier. So far, she never had been at his place and he was excited to finally show it to her.

Henry just started preparing his and Elizabeth's meal when he heard a knock on his door. Opening the door, he immediately greeted Elizabeth with a warm hug.

"Hi girlfriend. Come on in." Elizabeth chuckled and walked past him into his apartment. Upon entering, they immediately stood in Henry's living room filled with hundreds of books and a small couch in front of his TV. She really liked Henry's style and was impressed by his neatness. Turning towards her boyfriend she smiled at him.

"I like it. Do you need any help, I mean not that I can cook..." she blushed a bit.

"No, it's fine. I got it. Just sit down and relax. Do you want to have something to drink? I'll made you a strawberry shake."

"How can I say no to that?" She sat down on the chair next to the counter, sipping on her shake while watching her boyfriend prepare their meal. Realizing that he just cooked dinner for her made her grin like a fool.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Henry didn't know why she was looking at him like that.

"This is nice. You know, you cooking for me, I mean." Elizabeth leaned over the countertop to kiss him and he gladly accepted.

"Well, nice is what I was hoping for. Do you want to choose a movie while I finish up here?" He turned back towards the oven and checked the temperature.

"Sure." Elizabeth got up to look for a movie.

"The DVDs are in the bedroom on the shelf next to the closet." Elizabeth walked towards his bedroom door and opened it. She was surprised how tidy everything was, even his bed was made and no clothes was lying around. Elizabeth wondered if he had only cleaned up for her or if he was always that tidy. Going through his DVDs, she decided on a horror movie thinking that it would be the perfect excuse to cuddle up to him.

"Did you find something you like?" Henry called from the kitchen. Coming out of his room with the DVD in hand, she said "I decided on Disturbia. Hopefully, I won't be too scared to go home afterwards."

"Don't worry, you're always welcome to stay here." He coyly smiled at her while grabbing their plates and heading to the couch in front of the TV. Elizabeth started the movie and sat down next to him to eat.

"Oh gosh, Henry, that's so delicious! I didn't know you were such a good cook."

"Thanks, babe. It's pasta a la McCord." Elizabeth couldn't stop smiling about his slip of the term babe, but she didn't dare to say anything about it. After finishing dinner, she cuddled closer to Henry and laid her head on his strong shoulder. Sometimes during the movie she shrieked in scary scenes giving him a chance to press a kiss on her forehead. Henry was completely happy to be surrounded by his gorgeous girlfriend. Even the movie made him want to protect her and he meant it when he called her babe. After the movie ended, they ended up kissing, with him somehow landing on top of her. He continued his way down her neck to her cleavage making Elizabeth moan in the sexiest way he's ever heard. Henry went back to capture her lips with his while Elizabeth ran her hand up and down his back. Several minutes later, they broke apart, both out of breath and with flushed cheeks. Taking a look at his watch, he saw that it was getting late.

"I probably should drive you home now. It's getting late." But Elizabeth wasn't thinking about going home. She rolled them over and landed on top of him, holding his hands next to his head.

"Let's just stay here for a couple more minutes." With that, she caressed his chest while pressing her lips on his again. Elizabeth's hand wandered down his abdomen, feeling the muscles twitch under her hands.

"Baby, come on, let's get you home." Henry tried to stay cool, but he felt his arousal pressing against his pants. He wanted her so much, but not like this. They have only been seeing each other for a couple of weeks and he didn't want her to regret anything. Elizabeth felt him pressing against her, turning her on in the best possible way, but she knew that they had to stop before they went too far. Giving him some space, she sat up and pulled him with her.

Looking at the now visible bulge she grinned devilishly at him. "Are you good driving me back to the dorm or should I help myself."

Blushing slightly, he replied. "Very funny! No, I'm good. Just give me a minute." Elizabeth went to the bathroom to fix her messy hair and make herself presentable. Coming back to the living room, Henry had already started to clean up and was now waiting for her. Walking to his car, they walked arm in arm without saying anything until Elizabeth used that chance to say what was on her mind.

"Tonight was great. Thanks for cooking for me and letting me hang out at your place. And by the way, I like it when you call me babe." She quickly looked up to him before entering the car. Sitting down next to her, he couldn't hide his grin about her unexpected

confession. Driving her back to her dorm, Henry rested his hand on her thigh while slightly stroking it.

"Do you have time tomorrow?" Henry wanted to see her again so badly.

"Sorry, but I'm going to a dorm party with the girls. I told you about that, remember?" Elizabeth gave his hand a little squeeze.

"Oh yeah right. I totally forgot about that." He couldn't hide the disappointment in his voice, so his girlfriend tried to make it up to him while he parked the car next to the dorm entrance.

"But I don't have anything planned for the weekend yet, so..." Elizabeth opened her seatbelt and leaned over to him to kiss him goodnight.

"Call me tomorrow?" She asked while already jumping out of the car.

"Sure. Sweet dreams, babe." He watched her until she disappeared behind the glass doors before driving back to his apartment. Sighing loudly, he turned up the volume of the radio. He couldn't wait for the weekend to come.


	8. Vibes

A/N: I love reading all of your stories, but lately I feel like they are all quiet sad with Elizabeth ending up in the hospital, so here is some more fluff for you to read.

"Aww, I still can't believe it! Our sweet Elizabeth is dating a grad student, a sexy one!" Delia shouted out while pouring herself another drink. Elizabeth and the girls were hanging out in the common room celebrating one of the girl's birthday with a couple of drinks and music while chatting and drinking.

"Come on, honey, you have to tell us everything about him!" Natalie confronted her with an expectant look on her face.

"Well, there's not much to tell. I mean we have only been seeing each other for a couple of weeks, you know, since the party." By now, she had told her friends about the events of that night. "We are just trying to go slow, getting to know each other before jumping in too fast. I really enjoy spending with him. I don't know, Henry just makes me happy!" Trying to avoid giving away more details, she poured herself another drink.

"OMG! I have such a great idea right now! You know about my uncle's house on the beach in Norfolk, right? Apparently, he doesn't use it at the moment so I was thinking of spending the weekend there with Josh, you girls and some of his friends. You should bring Henry! It would be so much fun! Josh and Henry are friends anyway, so why not?" Delia was getting more and more excited.

"They are friends? I didn't know... but still, I don't think it's a good idea. I mean, we're still getting to know each other and it's so new..." Elizabeth didn't know how to get herself out of that.

"Don't be a douche. It's not like I'm asking you two to get married. It's just a weekend getaway to Norfolk, two hours of driving and we're there. And you can always drive back in case you don't like it. Please, just say yes, for me?" Delia looked at her with her big puppy eyes.

"Okay, I'm gonna ask him if he wants to join. But I don't think he wants to, so we'll see... Anyways, you want to have a beach weekend with so many people?" Elizabeth didn't remember her uncle's house being that big.

"Yeah, the house isn't big enough for all of us, but I thought it would be fun to camp out in the garden. We could do a whole weekend of pure nature, just tanning, swimming, sleeping... Are you all in for that?"

The girls nodded and Delia couldn't be more excited. They had a few more drinks before getting up from the floor and turning up the music to get the dance vibes going. Elizabeth had a fun time with her friends, but in the back of her head she was still thinking about Delia's proposal. She really wanted to relax on the beach and spend time Henry, but she didn't know if they were ready to be around each other for a whole weekend. Not feeling sober enough to ask him now, she decided to call him the next morning. Staying with her friends for the rest of the night, she decided to head to bed around midnight because of an early class she didn't want to miss in the morning.

Waking up the next morning, Elizabeth quickly showered, got dressed and got her stuff for the day before leaving her dorm room. Walking to class, she decided it was too early to call Henry so she waited until lunch break. Making her way to the park and dialing his number, she waited for him to pick up.

"Hello?" Henry picked up his phone.

"Hi honey. How are you?"

"I miss you, but other than that I'm fine." He was glad to hear Elizabeth's voice.

"Good. I wanted to talk to you about something. Where are you?"

"Just sitting in the park."

"I'm just walking that direction. Are you at the cafe?"

"No, I'm at the Laurie entrance."

"Ok, just wait there. I'm gonna be there in a sec." Hanging up, Elizabeth made her way to Laurie entrance. Arriving, she saw Henry sitting on the grass with a book in his lap looking irresistible cute. She approached him from behind and quickly covered his eyes with her hands.

"Hi" she whispered into his ear.

"Hi babe." Henry took her hands in his and leaned back to steal a kiss. Elizabeth quickly sat down next to him while casually grabbing his book.

"The middle way, uh? I didn't know you're not into doing it my way." Henry playfully smacked her for her comment.

"I love your way of doing things, but I actually have to study for my exam tomorrow. It's about Buddhism. Anyway, what did you want to talk about?" Henry looked at his girlfriend with concern.

"So, I was hanging out with the girls last night and Delia had the idea of going to her uncle's beach house in Norfolk for the weekend, because her uncle is not using it. Anyway, she asked all of us to come as well as her boyfriend Josh with whom you're friends with and she wants you to come too. She wants all of us to camp out in the garden and I told her that you probably didn't want to come. I mean, we really don't have to go..." Before Elizabeth could continue her ramblings, Henry stopped her.

"I'd love to go to Norfolk with you and your friends. I haven't been camping in such a long time, but I feel like it's gonna be fun."

"Seriously, you want to go? I'm telling you, we don't have to if you don't want to." She looked at him with an quizzical expression.

"I honestly want to go. Trust me, it's gonna be fun."

"Well, good. Delia will be over the moon excited." Elizabeth was surprised how fast he committed to their relationship. It really must meant a lot to him if he was willing to spend the whole weekend with her and her friends.

"Do you mind if I study with you? I have to revise some stuff from my maths class."

"Sure." They lay down in the grass with their noses buried in their books. But both of them couldn't concentrate on what they were reading, because they were already thinking about the weekend.


	9. Weekend getaway

On Saturday morning Henry arrived at 8 in the morning to pick up Elizabeth for their weekend getaway. His little car was already filled with the tent, air mattress, sleeping bags and his stuff and he couldn't be more excited. Walking to Elizabeth's dorm, he came across Jodie and Natalie who were carpooling with Delia and Josh. Finally entering his girlfriend's dorm, Henry couldn't stop smiling about the sight in front of him. Elizabeth was just throwing different things in her bag without any order while listening to some rock music. Henry quietly approached her from behind and slipped his hands around her waist while kissing her neck. Elizabeth squeaked before relaxing into his chest.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Henry mumbled into her ear. "You're ready to go?"

"Hi babe. Yeah, I'm almost done. I just need my toothbrush. Did you pack the camping gear?" Elizabeth shouted to him from the bathroom.

"Yup. All done."

" Ok, then let's go." Henry grabbed her bag while she took her keys to lock the door. Once in the car, they put on some music while driving to the highway. Henry looked at his girlfriend in concern, because he wasn't used to her being so awfully quiet.

"Are you ok?" Henry slightly squeezed her hand in his.

"Yeah, sure. I'm fine." She gave him a reassuring smile.

"Well, you haven't said anything since we left. And that's pretty unusual for you." They both chuckled at his comment, because it was more than true. "So what's going on?"

Elizabeth turned in her seat to look at him." I don't know. I guess I'm a bit nervous?" I mean, you know, we've never spend the night together and now we're going camping? It's just... I don't really know how to explain it."

"No, I get it. It's seems like a huge step, but think about it, we've spend so many weekends together and we always had fun, didn't we? And it's not like we're really going camping. It's more like sleeping outside next to each other and your friends." He grinned at her.

"You're right." She slowly nodded her head. "And just so you know, I'm really grateful you decided to join me. This means a lot to me."

"I know. I'm really glad you have asked me." Elizabeth leaned over to place a kiss on his cheek and now that they had cleared the air about their feelings, they went on to talk about some lighter things, Elizabeth becoming more of herself again. They turned up the music and opened the windows of the car making it feel like a real road trip. Elizabeth wore skinny shorts combined with a white tank top that barely covered her belly and her boyfriend simply couldn't keep his hands away from her bare legs. After two hours, they arrived at the beach house before the others. Elizabeth proposed to go down to the beach, so they walked hand in hand in the sand down to the water. With their feet in the water they turned to each other, both of them smiling foolishly at each other. Henry took a stray of hair in his hands that had made its way out of her ponytail.

"You're so beautiful, Elizabeth." She slightly blushed and looked away. "No, don't." He said. She tilted her head and he pulled her chin up to give her a kiss full of love. His tongue softly found its way inside making their tongues dance together. Elizabeth quickly wrapped her hands around his neck pulling him down to her while his hands caressed her back. Hearing noises from the house, they separated their faces from each other to go and greet the others. They were a group of about twenty people. Elizabeth knew most of them by now, but she didn't really like most of John's friends, because they were all about drinking and parties. After greeting everyone, Henry and her decided to set up their tent, before relaxing the rest of the day.

"You know what, why don't you relax with your friends on the beach while I do this real quick. Honestly, It's not much work." Henry proposed knowing how to build up the tent in and out.

"Are you sure? I don't mind helping you." Elizabeth didn't want him to feel left out.

"No, it's fine. I promise I'll be there in a sec to admire you in your tiny bikini." He gave her a playful claps on her ass combined with a little smooch on her nose.

"Okay, see you in a bit." Elizabeth said while grinning about his comment.

She took her stuff out of the car and went to the beach with her friends. After only a short time, Henry had their tent set up with the mattress and the sleeping bags in it. He took his trunks and towel out of the car and went inside the house to change before following his girlfriend to the beach. Elizabeth laid lazily on her back with eyes closed when he arrived, so he took his time to ogle her beautiful body. His eyes went down her flat stomach to her long legs before being interrupted by her humorous voice.

"You okay there or should I take off my bikini as well?" He quickly averted his eyes from her legs and brought them back to her eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to... I wasn't..." Henry immediately turned crimson and Elizabeth couldn't hide her laughter.

"It's fine. You know, my view isn't too bad either." She said while looking at his abs.

"You wanna go into the water?" Henry held out his hand and helped his girlfriend to stand up. They jumped into the waves joining the others who were already out there swimming. They spend some time playing waterball with Delia, Jodie, Natalie and Josh which ended in a huge splash fight. When the others decided to go tanning, the couple decided to swim further out. Henry was in his best shape ever, but he made sure Elizabeth could keep up with him. After ten minutes of swimming, she started to feel exhausted, already out of energy from the waterball.

"Do you mind if we swim back? I'm kinda exhausted." She said while swimming closer to Henry.

"Sure. Do you want me to carry you?" Henry said while turning around facing the beach.

"Thanks, but I can do it."

"I know you can, but I don't mind. Just hold on to my shoulders." Elizabeth decided it would be much more relaxing, so she swam to his side and grabbed his shoulders. Henry swam them back to the beach while Elizabeth enjoyed the closeness of the two of them. She could feel his muscles playing and she loved how she could feel his skin on hers.

"That's really nice. I could do this all day everyday." Elizabeth said to him.

"Honestly babe, I don't think I could do this 24/7." He responded while still carrying her.

"Sorry, I forgot it's not that relaxing for you. Hold on, I'm gonna swim back the rest." She let go of his shoulders and they quickly made it back to the shore. Walking back to their friends, they sat down on their towels. Elizabeth got some sunscreen out of her bag and applied it on her skin before turning towards Henry.

"Henry, do you mind applying some on my back?"

"Sure." He took the bottle out of her hand and massaged the lotion into her skin. Afterwards his hand wandered to her shoulders, continuing the massage.

"God, that feels so good. Don't stop." Elizabeth closed her eyes while turning putty in his hands.

Henry continued a couple more minutes before leaning back to lie down on his towel. All of them were tanning in the sun while chatting about different things. About an hour later, Delia and the others decided to go to the liquor shop to buy some stuff for the beach party, but Elizabeth and Henry decided to stay at the beach. They talked for a bit, but after a while, Elizabeth fell asleep while Henry pulled out his book to read a bit. Forty minutes later, Elizabeth was still asleep, so he watched her, trying to mesmerize every part of her beautiful face. After some time, he decided to wake her, worried that she wouldn't be able to sleep later that night. Henry slightly caressed her arm and kissed her on the cheek before moving down to her neck. Elizabeth slowly blinked her eyes open, lazily smiling at her boyfriend.

"You wanna go and grab some linner or dunch or whatever it is you like to call it?" Henry whispered into her ear.

"I'd love to. And just so you know, I prefer the term linner." The two of them gathered their stuff and went back to the house. When they walked in, Natalie and Jodie were standing in the kitchen going through the fridge, so Elizabeth asked them if they wanted to join them. Once everyone had changed, the group made its way to the closest restaurant. Elizabeth was wearing a flowing summer dress in different tones of red with little flowers on it while Henry had changed into khakis and a dark blue shirt. After having a delicious Italian linner and some nice conversation, the four of them made their way back to the beach house. Henry really liked Natalie and Jodie and he enjoyed watching Elizabeth interacting with them but he even more enjoyed having her for himself. So when they walked back to the beach house, the two of them hung back and Henry finally had the chance to compliment his girlfriend on her dress.

"You look so stunning, baby. I really love that dress." He put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Thank you. I was hoping you would like it." She leaned her head back giving Henry the chance to press a quick smooch on her mouth. Arriving back at the house, the party had already started. Delia and some guy were bringing out drinks while people where gathering on the beach and listening to the music.

"Hey, Henry!" Someone called out his name and he turned around to see who it was. "Come and join us, I need one more guy in my team." Josh was shouting from across the volleyball field. Henry apologetically faced Elizabeth.

"Go, I promised a one-on-one to Delia anyway, so I might as well go and talk to her now."

"Ok, see you later." Henry ran off to the volleyball field while Elizabeth made her way to the house to find Delia.

"Hey you. You wanted to talk to me?" She found her in the master bedroom rumbling through some things.

"Yeah, do you mind closing the door?" Delia asked, making herself comfortable on the bed. When Elizabeth sat down next to her, she started explaining her problem.

"You know, Josh and I have been seeing each other for, I don't know, four weeks? Anyway, I really like him, hell, I might even love him, but he's not very... his should I say it... Satisfying?" Delia expectantly looked at Elizabeth waiting for her response.

"You mean in bed?" Elizabeth wanted to make sure they were talking about the same thing.

"Yes. It's not like it is bad, it's just that he always comes before me, so I never really get to experience my climax. At first, I was fine with that, because I thought eventually I would get there, but now... I mean, I've had some experience so I know what it should feel like. I was thinking that maybe you and Henry have the same problem and you could give me some advice?" Delia desperately wanted her help but Elizabeth didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry, but I honestly can't give you any advice. Not that I don't want to, but Henry and I haven't had sex yet, so yeah... But I guess you should talk to Josh about how you feel? Maybe you can work it out together or he could try to hold off longer?" Elizabeth started to feel weird talking with her about intimate stuff.

"Oh you guys haven't yet? I swear to God, it looks like you did, I mean you guys can't keep your hands off each other." Delia said. "Anyway, thanks for talking to me though. It already feel much better having it said out loud." The girls made their way back to the party and Elizabeth went to look for Henry. She sat down next to the field and watched him play. He had taken his shirt off, his muscles flexing in the sun. When they were done playing, he came to sit down next to her in the sand while she offered him a bottle of water.

"So what did you girls talk about?" Henry curiously asked.

"You know, the usual stuff. Bedroom problems,... She just wanted my advice on something, but I couldn't really help. I mean not that I don't have experience, it's just that she thought maybe I had the same problem, but I didn't because obviously we didn't... You know what, forget it." Elizabeth felt her cheeks turn crimson and turned away.

"You mean because we didn't have sex yet?" Henry asked and at the same time reached for her hand. "Elizabeth, I didn't think you were virgin I just wanted to take it slow. One step at a time, without anyone getting hurt. I thought that's what you wanted to."

"It is. I just wanted to be clear about that." She finally looked up again.

"And I appreciate that. You wanna go to the party now?" He helped her standing up going to get them drinks. They enjoyed themselves while drinking, talking and dancing on the beach and watching the sunset together. When it was finally dark, the party got much louder. People were drunk by now and started doing crazy things. At some point, after being hit on by one of Josh's friend for the third time, she didn't feel comfortable anymore.

"Do you want to take a walk?" Henry immediately picked up on her annoyance and Elizabeth gladly accepted. He took her by the hand and pulled her out of the crowds. They walked about five minutes in silence, getting away from the noise and enjoying the sound of the waves.

"Are you ok?" Henry worriedly looked at her and she smiled back at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I like how you take care of me. I never really knew what it felt like since my parents died when I was 15." It was quiet for a moment. Henry was surprised that she brought up her parents by herself and he didn't want to ruin the moment. So instead of saying anything he squeezed her hand urging her to continue. "They died in a car crash, instantly. My brother was with them, Will, he survived. Thank God he did." She stopped for a moment, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I haven't been there, because I had to study. The last thing I said to my mum was _"Close the door."_ Who does that? Who says close the door instead of I love you?" Elizabeth couldn't stop her tears from falling down and Henry quickly took her into his arms, embracing her with all he had. She started sobbing into his shirt, overwhelmed by her emotions. She never talked to anyone about her parents, but she felt like Henry had to know. Henry whispered sweet nothings into her ear while stroking her hair. They stood there for a long time, Henry trying to be there for her while she could let go of all everything she wad holding back in the past. Once her tears stopped she mumbled into his neck. "I think my parents would have liked you." Henry couldn't be more proud right now, so he started to pepper little kisses all over her face until she started giggling. He gently wiped her tears away and she tried to fix his wet shirt.

"I'm sorry. I think I ruined your shirt."

"I don't care. I can get a new one." He looked at her with so much love in his eyes making her feel like she finally belonged somewhere. "Thanks for talking to me about them. It means a lot to me that you feel like you can open up to me." He earnestly said.

"I trust you Henry, more than I ever trusted anyone else before." For several minutes, they just watched the waves crashing together before Henry broke the silence.

"Do you want to go back to the party?" He asked.

"Not really. Let's just sit here for a while. Just the two of us." She walked backwards to sit down on the sand pulling him with her. It was dark by now, the only light visible was given by the moon and they could still hear the vibrating bass from the party. Henry wrapped her arms around his girlfriend while she buried her head in the crook of his neck.

"Babe, look at the stars. Aren't they beautiful?" Elizabeth was fascinated by the clear night sky and was excited to share this moment with her boyfriend.

"They are, not as beautiful as you though." Elizabeth tried to interrupt him, but Henry wouldn't let her. "No, let me say this. You're the kindest, smartest and most beautiful woman I've ever known. Not just beautiful from the outside but even more from the inside. You make me happier than I ever thought possible and that's why I love you." There it was. Elizabeth just stared at him for a second unable to form any coherent thoughts and Henry already started regretting saying his thoughts out loud. But then, a smile formed on her lips "I love you too, Henry McCord. More than you'll ever know." She leaned in and they celebrated their love in a languid kiss. Breaking apart, both of them smiled like fools, the sadness from earlier completely forgotten. Shortly after midnight, they made their way back to the party, but neither of them were interested in hanging out with their drunk friends, so they made their way to the house and prepared for bed. Elizabeth couldn't hide her tiredness anymore, yawning loudly when she crawled into her sleeping bag next to Henry. Turning their faces towards each other, they started kissing each other slowly until it got more heated. Elizabeth rolled on top of him making Henry moan when he felt the pressure in his lap.

"Babe, we should probably stop. We're both tired and this is not the right..." Before he could finish the sentence, he was interrupted by Elizabeth.

"Come on Henry! Let's just have some fun. I want you so much..." She kissed her way down his neck and pulled his shirt over his head. Henry felt his resistance slipping hearing her moans and feeling her lips on his skin. But suddenly, he took hold of her shoulders and pushed her up.

"Elizabeth, please stop. I'm not gonna have sex with you in this tent where everyone can hear us. I want this to be special." At first, she wanted to be mad at him, but it was impossible to be so when he was just trying to be a gentleman. Giving him one final kiss, she rolled back to her side.

"Fine. But the shirt stays off." Henry chuckled at her command, but did as she said. He rolled over to spoon her from behind and she gladly accepted by wrapping her arms around his and pressing her back more firmly into him. He could already feel her drifting

to sleep when he said goodnight and he couldn't even understand the words she mumbled back. While Elizabeth slept peacefully in his arms, Henry had some time to think about everything that has happened that day.

He found out a few more things about Elizabeth that he didn't know yet, such as her not being a virgin anymore. He had to admit that he was a bit relieved that he would not be the first one to introduce her to the act knowing that it could hurt a little. On the other hand, he wanted to find out more about her past like her ex-boyfriends or family. Today must have been hard for her, but he was glad she finally told him about her parents. Henry nuzzled her blond hair taking in her vanilla scent. He also learned that she was more than willing to give herself to him and that made him proud in a way he's never felt before. Henry wanted nothing more than to be a perfect boyfriend and make her happy and so far he was doing pretty good. With that thought he fell asleep dreaming about the two of them.

The next morning, Elizabeth was woken by the sunshine making its way into their little tent. Henry and her were still tangled together and she could feel his breath against her neck. Slowly turning around, she watched his peaceful face surrounded by his ruffled hair making him look sexy and extremely cute at the same time. She slightly ran her hand through his hair while watching him stirring. He slowly blinked his eyes open and gave her heartwarming smile.

"Good morning gorgeous."

"Hi." She leaned over and pecked him on the lips."You know, you look very cute when you wake up. I could really get used to that."

"Well, I wouldn't mind about that." He foolishly grinned at her. Elizabeth responded by wrapping her arms around his torso and leaning her head on his chest. Laying there for a few more minutes, Henry ran his hand up and down her back until Elizabeth suddenly straightened up.

"You know what, we should go swimming."

"Now? It's only seven in the morning!"

"Come on, ppllleeeaasse." Elizabeth knew he couldn't say no when she said please.

"Ok, fine. Let's go." Elizabeth was already out of the tent, running towards the beach while Henry grabbed some towels for them. Arriving at the beach, Elizabeth was already splashing in the water in her underwear impatiently waiting for him.

"Come on sleepy head. What are you waiting for?" Henry had never seen her that carefree and bolt at the same time, so he quickly took off his clothes except his boxers to join her in the water. They quickly ended up in a full on water fight until they were laughing tears. When they were getting cold, Elizabeth jumped on his back and he gave her a piggyback back to the beach. They grabbed the rest of their clothes before heading to the house to shower and change. Once Elizabeth stepped into the kitchen in a new set of clothes, Henry had already prepared them breakfast.

"My hero. I'm starving!" Her comment made Henry chuckle while he handed her a plate with blueberry pancakes. They sat down on the kitchen counter eagerly consuming the food in front of them.

"Omg, that is so good! Did I die? Am I in heaven now?" Elizabeth suddenly stopped talking realizing that Henry was staring at her. "Do I have something on my face?"

Laughing Henry replied. "No, you look fine. Although I have to admit I liked you better in your underwear." Elizabeth kicked him with her foot. " Ok, ok, I'll take that back. Seriously though, I've never seen you this happy."

"Well, that's because I'm happy. You being here with me makes me happy."

"Me too. I just feel like I'm getting to know another side of you and I like it."

"Thanks... I guess?" Elizabeth didn't really knew what to say to that so she continued eating her pancakes. "So what's the plan for today?" She asked trying to change the subject.

"I was thinking of taking a walk in ocean view park if you're up to it. I don't think the others will be up soon." Henry didn't want to deal with hungover people on this beautiful day.

"Sounds good. That way, we also get out of cleaning duty. I mean not that we're responsible for this mess anyway." They finished their breakfast and made their way to the car to drive to the park. They walked a bit but after a while they decided to sit down to just enjoy the peaceful nature.

"This is such a beautiful place. It was a good idea to come here." Elizabeth laid on her back and observed the nature around her.

"This whole weekend getaway was a great idea." Henry sat cross legged next to her with his hand resting on her leg. They stayed in the park for a couple more hours and Henry used that chance to get to know more about her childhood. Surprisingly, Elizabeth was more than willing to share some of her memories with him and he couldn't be me appreciative. At around three, the couple decided to drive back to the beach house not wanting to get back to UVA too late. Arriving back at the house, Natalie came running towards her.

"Omg, Elizabeth where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Sorry, Henry and I went to the ocean view park. I didn't think we would be gone so long." Elizabeth apologized.

"Well, good for you. We've already cleaned the house and we're gonna drive home in about an hour." Natalie said but then got distracted by Wren whom she met last night. "Excuse me, I'll see you later." With that she was gone leaving Elizabeth behind. Walking to their tent, Henry was already packing the car with their stuff. When they were done, Elizabeth proposed to go to the beach one last time before leaving. They stood with their feet in the water, arms around each other and slowly started kissing each other.

"I love you." Elizabeth whispered against his lips not wanting to let go.

"I like you okay too." Henry responded making her laugh.

They took one final look back before making their way to the car. Driving back to UVA, both of them were thinking that this weekend couldn't have been better.


	10. A First

A/N: Heads up, this is RATED M!

I want to give a shout out to lil'mousie323 for always leaving a nice review. I really appreciate that, THANKS!

Elizabeth had been in a crappy mood, because she hadn't seen Henry since their weekend getaway, because he had been busy with exams and some ROTC stuff he didn't want to talk about. He had called her on Tuesday, but it was just not the same as seeing each other. On Thursday, he surprised her in the cafeteria during lunch break, so they quickly went outside to talk without anyone bothering them.

"I missed you." Elizabeth said while embracing him in a desperate hug trying to be as close a possible.

"I missed you too. I'm sorry I didn't have much time for you this week, but I'm gonna make it up to you. I promise." He caressed her cheek and looked in her beautiful eyes.

"That's fine. You look tired. Are you ok?" Elizabeth noticed the sleeping bags under his eyes and couldn't hide her concern.

"I'm fine, I just had a lot to do. Listen,I still have some stuff to do tomorrow, but I was thinking that we could hang out on Saturday?" Henry asked.

"Sure. I'm going shopping with Delia and Natalie in the morning, but how about I come by your place afterwards and we can just chill out? I'm not really up for adventures after this stressful week." Elizabeth just wanted to relax with her boyfriend without any interruption.

"Yeah, works for me. I'm really looking forward to some downtime with you. That way, I also get to cook dinner for you again." He smirked.

"I love it when you get corny." She grinned at him and continued. "So what kind of stuff are you working on at the moment?"

"You know, just some essays, but also more training for my deployment..." He left that hanging in the air not really wanting to talk about it. "So, tell me. What have you been up to lately?" He said trying to change the subject.

"Just the usual. Dating some cute guys, partying until the sun comes up, ditching classes..." Elizabeth joked around making them both laugh. They chatted for a couple more minutes before Elizabeth had to leave for class.

"I really have to go now, but I'll see you on Saturday. And don't work too hard, honey." She leaned over and kissed him, quickly sucking his upper lip before letting go of him and walking off. Henry watched her leave, thankful that she was so understanding and didn't make him feel guilty about not having much time for her.

Elizabeth, Delia and Natalie had been shopping for about four hours, all of them loaded with several bags in each hand.

"I think that's enough for today. I'm getting tired and I already crossed my budget." Natalie said in exhaust.

"You're right, let's wrap this up. I just want to go to Victoria's secret really quick and buy some new lingerie. I really need to kink up my sex life." Delia responded making the others look at her curiously.

"So, you haven't talked to Josh yet?" Elizabeth responded referring to the talk they had at the party.

"Well, you could say that I talked to him, but he got a bit mad saying that it wasn't his fault he couldn't hold off longer. And since that, we haven't had sex. That's why I need some new lingerie to get back in the saddle." Delia made her way to some racy stuff while Elizabeth decided to look through some lacy bras. About ten minutes later, she found a set of dark blue underwear that she really liked and decided to buy it. Delia has also found something she liked, so they called it a day and walked to the parking. Once all the bags were packed in Delia's car, they drove back to UVA. Looking at her watch, Elizabeth saw that it was getting late.

"Hey Delia, do you mind dropping me off at Henry's? I don't want him waiting too long."

"No sure. That way you can show him all the nice clothes you bought today and of course the sexy underwear." Delia winked at her through the rear view mirror. Arriving at Henry's place at six, she said goodbye to her friends and made her way up the stairs to his apartment. She leaned against his door and tried to knock with her elbow, her hands being full with shopping bags. When Henry quickly opened the door, she would have fallen down if her boyfriend hadn't catched her in his arms.

"Woah, easy babe. Wait, did I miss something? Are you moving in with me?" He looked at all her bags not believing how much she had bought.

"Haha, very funny. To my defense, I haven't been shopping for a long time, so I had to make up." Elizabeth placed her shopping bags on the floor and walked towards him to properly greet him.

"Hi babe. How are you?" She asked and pecked him on the lips before embracing him. Hugging her back, Henry nuzzled her hair and took in her scent.

"Now that you are here, I couldn't be better." He whispered into her ear making her smile. They made their way to the living room and sat down on the couch. Elizabeth sighed happily when she leaned back against the cushions.

"Hard day, huh?" Henry asked while stroking her thigh.

"No, it was fun but also tiring. What about you?" She asked and moved to stretch out her legs over his lap.

"I've finally finished all of my essays and then used the rest of the time to clean this place. Boy, you should have seen it before. It was a mess!" Elizabeth chuckled, knowing that his mess was nothing compared to Elizabeth's standards. Are you hungry? Should I start on dinner?" Henry continued while moving to massage her feet.

"Yeah, I am. But don't go right now, this feels so good." Elizabeth closed her eyes and concentrated on his talented fingers massaging her feet.

"I'm gonna continue this later, I promise. I'm just gonna start cooking now so you won't starve." Henry got up and moved to the kitchen.

"Ok. Do you mind if I take a shower while you cook? I feel like I've been walking for hours today."

"Sure, towels are in the second shelve on the left. Just take your time, dinner is going to take a while." Elizabeth nodded her head and walked to her shopping bags to grab the new underwear and one of the dresses she's gotten. Just in case, she thought. Making her way to his bathroom, she opened the second drawer, but instead of finding towels, she came across a box of condoms that were unopened and newly bought. Elizabeth smiled to herself at the thought that he was responsible and had prepared for their first time. Opening the next one, she took out a towel and placed it next to the shower. Peeling herself out of her clothes and turning the hot water on, she was already looking for some shower gel she could use. Deciding on coconut, she quickly washed her body before making herself presentable for dinner. She put on her new underwear and the new dress in the same color over it. The dress was a bit shorter than the clothes she usually wore, but she liked how it showed her long legs. She quickly brushed her hair and put on new mascara before making her way back to the living room. Entering, she gasped and looked at Henry in surprise. He had prepared the little table in front of the couch with pillows all around. On top of that, he had put a bouquet of roses on it.

"Henry, wow, I didn't expect that."

"Good, that's how I planned it. By the way, you look stunning. Is this new?" He looked her up and down and couldn't get enough of her in that gorgeous dress.

"Yeah, I was hoping you would like it."

"Are you kidding? I absolutely love it. Come here, sweetheart." He took her hand and pulled her towards him. He pressed a soft kiss on her forehead, moved on to her cheek and finally ended on her lips. "Dinner is almost ready. Sit down and relax, I'll be right there." Henry went back to the kitchen and Elizabeth put on some music before making herself comfortable in the cushions. She couldn't believe he was doing all of that for her and it made her happy to no end. When Henry returned with their plates, he looked at Elizabeth who couldn't stop smiling at him.

"What are you smiling at?" He teased.

"I think you know." Sitting down opposite her, he placed the plates on the table.

"Voila, the special McCord lasagne I told you about." Henry said while lighting the candle in the middle of the table. She quickly grabbed his hand before he could grab his fork and squeezed it.

"Babe, thanks for being such a romantic boyfriend. I really love this, especially the roses."

"I'm glad you like it because all I want is for you to be happy." He looked deep into her blue eyes and Elizabeth couldn't help but to tear up a little. She quickly wiped the tear away, but Henry noticed anyway.

"What's wrong?" He asked with concern in his voice.

"Can you please stop being so damn perfect? It makes me way too emotional." Henry chuckled at her comment but also felt incredibly proud. "I'll take that as a compliment. Come on, let's eat. " They started eating and Elizabeth couldn't be more thankful that Henry was such a great cook. During dinner, they talked about the events of the last week not having seen each other much and Elizabeth told him about the latest gossip. After dinner, they decided to watch a movie, this time they chose a romantic comedy. Henry put the little table to the side so they could lay down in the cushions. Elizabeth rested her head on Henry's chest and embraced his torso with her arms while Henry put his arms around his girlfriend. She could hear his heart beating in a steady rhythm, soothing her to a light sleep. Elizabeth only closed her eyes for what felt like a couple of seconds, but when she opened them again the credits were shown on tv. Looking up, she met Henry's face grinning at her.

"Hey sleepy head. Do you want me to drive you home?" He offered knowing that Elizabeth had quite a busy day.

"Thanks, but I'd love to stay a bit longer. We didn't even get to the make out part yet." She winked at him and slowly leaned over his face to press a firm kiss on his face. She sucked his upper lip before giving his tongue access to her mouth. Breaking apart for air, Henry slightly pushed her to the side so he could sit up. Trying to control his desire for her, he got up to go to the kitchen.

" I still have dessert for you in the fridge. It's your favorite." Henry walked back into the living room with a bowl of strawberries that were covered in chocolate.

"Henry, are you trying to make me fat? Every time I'm here, you give me tons of food." Elizabeth accused him with a big smile on her face. "Seriously though, thanks." She took the bowl out of his hand and pulled him down to her. " I love you. You're the best boyfriend ever."

"I love you too." Henry grabbed a strawberry to hold it out in front of her mouth and she gladly accepted it and managed to suck his finger while taking it out of his hand. When she finished it, Henry quickly swooped in with his tongue to taste it himself. "Mmmmh, so good."

"You know, there's lots of strawberries. You could have just taken one of these." Elizabeth joked even though she enjoyed when he kissed her like that. Eating the rest of them while occasionally exchanging little smooches, Elizabeth felt the desire pooling in her body. Watching her boyfriend eat the strawberries he got for her turned her on to no end. She quickly took the last strawberry out of the bowl and took half of it in her mouth while straddling Henry's lap who was sitting with his back leaning against the couch. Leaning in, he offered him the other half and he opened his mouth to accept. Henry was surprised by her bolt move, but when they continued kissing he put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer. Her tongue was everywhere and he couldn't stop the moan that escaped his mouth when she put more pressure into his lap. Elizabeth fingered his hair while kissing him before moving her head to kiss his neck and suck on his pulse point. In return, Henry tucked some stray hair behind her ear before moving to nipple her ear lightly. Elizabeth gasped and when he continued to kiss her little spot behind her ear, she moaned in pleasure. Henry felt the pressure building, his jeans feeling way too tight. Elizabeth could feel her boyfriend's growing bulge underneath her, so she started rocking her hips slightly to increase his pleasure.

"Elizabeth, ooh, you feel so good baby." Henry caressed her back with his head buried in the crook of her neck. Tugging his hair, she made him look up at her seeing that his pupils were already delight.

"Henry, I want you so much." She said and at the same time put more pressure on his bulge.

He gasped before answering. "Are you sure?" We don't have to if you're not ready yet. I don't want you to regret anything." He gently caressed her cheek looking at her with full honesty.

"Please babe, I'm sure. I promise." She looked at him desperately, needing to connect with him in the most intimate way possible.

"Ok. Let's go to the bedroom. I don't want to take you here in the cushions." They quickly got up with him leading the way to the bedroom without letting go of her hand once. Henry closed the bedroom door behind them and turned towards Elizabeth who suddenly felt nervous. It wasn't her first time, but she wanted it to be perfect for him.

"Come here, baby." He pulled her in his embrace and started kissing her again until he felt her relax against him. He wanted her to set the pace so he let her undress him first. She slowly opened the buttons of his shirt before sliding it down his muscular arms. She moved her hands over his chest, slightly fingering his chest before kissing her way up his neck. Arriving at his lips, she entered his mouth again while her hands were working on his belt and unzipping his jeans. She slowly pushed them down over his butt and gave his cheek a little squeeze on the way. Henry chuckled at her move but continued to kiss her. Once he was only left in his boxers, she took a step back to admire him, his throbbing length clearly visible now. Henry took a step towards her to start undressing her. He pulled the zipper of her dress down and let it fall down the floor. Elizabeth stepped out of it and Henry couldn't help but stare at her lingerie. "Babe, you look so beautiful. So unbelievably sexy." He looked her up and down, unable to take his eyes away from her gorgeous body making Elizabeth feel a bit unconscious of herself. Henry noticed and quickly moved to apologize. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare. You're just the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and I can't get enough of you." He pulled her closer and kissed her passionately while slowly moving towards the bed. Laying down, Elizabeth pulled him on top of her with his body pressing against hers. He kissed the shell of her ear again making her moan. He then kissed his way downwards to her collarbone before moving to her breasts. He pulled her up a bit to slide his hands behind her back to open her bra. Before removing the garment, he questionably looked at her but she gave him permission to continue by giving him a timid smile. Henry threw the bra away and her breasts fell free. Looking her in the eyes, he cupped them in his hands massaging and squeezing them. Elizabeth closed her eyes in pleasure and started panting when Henry moved to kiss her nipples before taking each of them in his mouth and sucking lightly. Elizabeth cried out at the sensation and Henry looked at her in awe, her hair messy, eyes closed and mouth slightly opened. He was surprised how sensitive she was, but it turned him on even more. He continued his journey down to her belly dipping his tongue in it while Elizabeth grabbed the bedsheets to keep herself grounded. Before he went down to her thighs, he wanted to make sure she was fine with what she was doing so he lightly squeezed her hand. Elizabeth opened her eyes and blushed when she felt his eyes on her, but nodded with her head to make him continue. Henry kissed the insights of her thighs before taking her panties off of her long legs. Standing at her feet, he pulled down his boxers standing naked in front of Elizabeth. She leaned on her elbows to take in his glorious body noticing his throbbing length. Henry took pleasure himself in looking down at his naked girlfriend laying in his bed which made him harder it that was even possible. He bent down to kiss his way up her legs starting with her calves. Arriving at her opening, he felt Elizabeth tugging on his hair motioning him to come up. He looked at her in concern, but she looked away in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not ready for you to kiss me down there." Her head turned crimson.

"Don't worry, babe. That's fine. We'll do everything your way." He kissed her again until he felt her relaxing. Looking into her eyes, he slowly moved his hand to massage her wet folds. Elizabeth widened her eyes in surprise at the feeling of his hands spreading her wetness, but she had to admit she liked it. After a couple more minutes, he licked his fingers clean before reaching into his bedside drawer for a condom. Pressing little kisses all over her face making her giggle, he asked. "Are you ready?"

Elizabeth nodded her head but before he could put on the condom, she took it out off his hand.

"Let me do it." She opened the wrapping and slowly pulled it over his length, pumping him when she was done. He kissed her one more time, before taking his length and penetrating her slowly. He could feel her folds stretching around him and both of them cried out at the sensation. He gave her a minute to adjust before he started rocking his hips back and forth, pulling in and out of her.

"Oooh, Henry, you feel so good, so big. Please don't stop." Elizabeth panted into his ear.

"Babe, you are so tight." He groaned and moved to pernetrate her harder. Elizabeth cried out again and he went a bit faster. She wrapped her legs around his hips to take I'm in deeper and buried her head on his neck to stiffen her loud cries. Her hands were holding on to his muscular back while her heels digged into his ass, urging Henry to go faster. When she felt herself tightening, she knew she was close.

"Babe, I'm gonna come." She moaned loudly making Henry loose his mind, his movements getting more erratic.

"Let go, Elizabeth. I got you." He thrusted into her one more time before she tightened around him and came with a loud scream, pulling Henry over the edge with him. He spilled into her and collapsed on top of her, completely worn out. After a couple more minutes, he pulled out of her and threw the remnants of their love making away before rolling on his side to face her. Elizabeth was still laying on her back panting, so he gently wrapped his arm around her hip to pull her into his side.

"That was absolutely amazing." He began.

"Earth shattering." Elizabeth continued.

"The best sex I've ever had." They smiled at each other and he leaned over to kiss her.

" I love you, Elizabeth Adams, to the moon and back." Henry whispered on her lips.

"I love you even more, Henry McCord."


	11. The morning after

Henry woke up in the morning with Elizabeth still sleeping in his arms. Her hair was spread out messy all over her pillow while her head rested in the crook of his neck. The blanket barely covered anything and he took some time to take in the sight of her lying naked next to him. He let his eyes wander over her well-formed breasts to her flat stomach before taking his eyes back to her face. Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes when she woke up and saw Henry looking at her with a smile on his face. She quickly pulled up the covers when she realized that she was lying completely naked in bed in front of her boyfriend, unaware of the fact that Henry already mesmerized every part of her body.

"Good morning, gorgeous." He leaned down and pecked her lips while trying to pull down the blanket.

"Hi." Elizabeth responded before quickly stopping his actions. Henry chuckled and suddenly disappeared with his head under the blankets. Elizabeth gasped loudly when she felt him on her most intimate area and grabbed the sheets in fists. At first she felt weird letting him kiss her down there, but when he started putting pressure on her most sensitive spot she couldn't think clearly anymore.

Afterwards, Henry came up again and kissed her deeply with tongue, giving her a chance to taste herself. When they pulled apart for air, Henry just looked at her with a goofy grin on his face while Elizabeth still gasped for air trying to come back to earth.

"Did you like that?" Her boyfriend asked, slightly gracing her arm with his fingertips.

"Are you kidding? That was amazing..." She slightly blushed remembering his earlier actions.

"Good. I want you to know how much I love and cherish you." He pecked her on the lips before getting out of bed, standing butt naked in front of her.

"Where are you going?" Elizabeth asked watching him putting on his boxers.

"I'm going to make my beautiful girlfriend the best breakfast ever." Henry responded with a wink.

"I wish I was her." Elizabeth jokingly said before flopping back on bed.

A couple of minutes after Henry had left, she decided to take a shower and put on some fresh clothes. Walking into the kitchen, she couldn't help herself but check out her boyfriend's trained body standing in front of the stove and preparing their breakfast. She walked behind him and put his arms around his body.

"Do you know how sexy you are standing here only in your boxers and making breakfast for me?" She whispered into his ear before nibbling on his ear shell. Henry juggled in response giving her hand a little squeeze before returning his attention to their pancakes. While he finished making the pancakes Elizabeth took out some plates for them when suddenly her phone rang. Lying on the counter next to Henry he grabbed it and gave it to her.

Quickly glancing at the screen she answered. "Hi Delia! What's up?" She followed Henry to the table and sat down, patiently waiting for Delia to finish. Henry could only hear bits and pieces, but it sounded like Elizabeth's girlfriend was truly upset. He placed the pancake filled with blueberries, banana and strawberries in front of Elizabeth and put some chocolate sauce over it. She gave him a thankful smile and tried to end her conversation with Delia.

"Listen sweety, how about I'll come over later and we'll talk? I'll bring some ice cream and pizza." She hung up the phone and gave Henry an apologetic look. "Sorry, but Josh just broke up with her and she really needs somebody to talk, so I'm going to swing by her place later."

"That's ok. I can drop you off there but do you maybe wanna go out tonight? I don't want the weekend to end yet."

"Maybe." She gave him a vicious smile. "What did you have in mind?"

"Remember that little creek I told you about? We could go there with a swim mattress and float down the river. If you're not up for it, we could just go to the movies and make out in the last row." She laughed at his cheesiness before responding.

"As much as I'd like the second one, I rather go to the creek with you." Henry pouted, so she continued. "We can always get to the make out part later tonight."

"Yeah? You wanna stay over again?" His heart started to beat faster.

"Of course I want to. I wanna spend as much time as possible with you, idiot." She leaned over to kiss him and he gladly accepted. "I love you." Leaning back in her chair, she continued. "But you do know that from now on, I'll always expect breakfast like this." Henry chuckled. "Your wish is my command."

They finished breakfast and afterwards Henry showered while Elizabeth washed the dishes. Standing in front of the sink with her hands covered in soapy water, she let her mind wander to last night smiling at the thought of Henry cherishing her body. Only now did she really understand why it was called making love. The sex with her previous boyfriends was fine, but never had she felt so loved and wanted by anyone else. Only Henry could make her feel like the most beautiful and perfect woman in the world which made her finally feel complete again.

Henry entered the room seeing Elizabeth with a smile on her face completely lost in thoughts. He walked up behind her and embraced her in his arms, kissing up her neck before whispering into her ear.

"What are you thinking about babe?"

Leaning back against him and resting her head on his chest she replied. "You."

"Me?"

"Yeah. You're perfect, you know." She turned in his arms to catch his gaze. "Last night was perfect."

Henry softly cupped her cheek before responding. "It was. And so was this morning."

Elizabeth slightly blushed and looked away.

"Elizabeth, don't. You know how much I loved going down on you, don't you?"

"I know. It's just... Nobody has ever done that before, you know?"

"You wanna know a secret?" He leaned in closer. "It was my first time too." Elizabeth looked up in surprise and he shrugged his shoulders. "But I guess it turned out pretty good." Elizabeth chuckled and Henry pulled her closer nuzzling her hair and taking in her scent. She rested her hands on his back and leaned her head against his shoulder feeling his strong arms wrapped around her.

"Your the best thing that ever happened to me, Elizabeth Adams."

She didn't respond, but she pulled him in a little tighter and he knew she felt the same. They stood there for a couple more minutes, bathing in their happiness before Henry pulled away. "We should get going so you can take care of your friend." Elizabeth sighed, but she knew he was right. "Let's just stop at the grocery shop to pick up some ice cream and that pizza place I like. At least I can have some delicious lunch while I listen to her problems. And we should buy some stuff for here as well, your fridge is pretty empty and I don't want to starve." Henry chuckled knowing how much she loved her food. They got ready to leave, deciding to leave all of Elizabeth's new clothes at his place since she wouldn't return to her dorm until the next morning. Walking through the supermarket, Elizabeth suddenly stopped to get a tooth brush, razor and her favorite shampoo. Giving her a quizzical look she explained. "What? Don't expect me to stay over more often without my own stuff." His lips turned into a smile and he kissed her on the cheek.

"Wow, your really serious about this."

"Of course I am." She grinned at him and they returned to the food section. Once they were done, Henry drove them to the pizza place to pick up their order and afterwards he dropped her off at Delia's place.

"Call me when you're ready to go to the creek and I'll pick you up."

"Ok. Don't forget to bring my new bikini, it's in one of the shopping bags." She said before leaning in to peck him on the lips.

"See you later!" She grabbed the pizza and ice cream and made her way towards Delia's door who was already waiting, her eyes red from crying.

Elizabeth and Delia sat on the couch with hot chocolates in their hands that Elizabeth had made for them after listening to Delia's sobbing for an hour. So far, Elizabeth still didn't know what had happened exactly and she felt her patience fading. Getting up to grab the pizza, she hoped it would make Delia start talking.

"As much as I love you, here's the deal. Either you start talking or you won't have any pizza." Elizabeth stood in front of her friend waving around the pizza box.

"Fine. You wanna know what happened? Remember I bought that Victoria's secret underwear yesterday to improve my sex life? Well, you could say that it made everything worse, because by the time I just got started he was already done. So I tried talking to him, again. That's why he broke up with me. He said he won't let me insult him and I'm just the worst sex partner he ever had." She grabbed the biggest piece of pizza out of the box trying to eat the pain away. Elizabeth felt sorry for her friend, but didn't know what to do so she decided to convince her that Josh didn't deserve her. After what felt like hours of talking and crying, they finally ate their ice cream with Delia being angry at Josh now instead of herself. When Elizabeth was reassured that Delia would be okay, she called Henry to pick her up to go to the creek.


	12. A fight

Henry and Elizabeth sat on the rocks at the creek after floating down the river several times. They were both completely soaked in water after having a full on water fight and were now trying to dry in the afternoon sun. Elizabeth slightly shivered when a breeze brought some fresh air so Henry wrapped a towel around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. Elizabeth leaned her head on his shoulders with eyes closed and they enjoyed the piece and quiet of the nature. After a while, Henry pressed a kiss to her temple before asking about Delia.

"So what happened to her and Josh?" Why did he break up with her?"

"I don't think I should tell you. It's private stuff and I wish I didn't have to know because it's really none of my business and I -for sure- don't want it to be mine." She replied while turning to face him.

"Still their bedroom problems?" He was curious now.

"Kinda. I'm glad we don't have to deal with that." She grinned at him and pecked him on the lips.

"Me too. But let's just say we had to... You would tell me, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean in case you weren't satisfied or didn't reach your climax, you'd tell me, wouldn't you?" His face turned crimson, but he really had to know.

"I guess I would... I don't know. I mean, I wouldn't wanna hurt your feelings, you know? She said, unable to meet his eyes.

"Wait, so you're saying you would try to hide it? Like faking it? He looked at her in disbelief.

"No, I... Can we please stop talking about this? It's making me feel really uncomfortable."

"Just tell me you would never fake it with me." Now he really wanted her word whether she was comfortable with it or not.

"Oh my gosh, Henry, just leave it." Elizabeth started to get mad and wrapped the towel more firmly around her.

" Wait, did you fake it last night or this morning?" Henry's insecurity didn't let him think clearly anymore and he ignored Elizabeth getting mad.

"Of course not! What's wrong with you? You're really starting to piss me off!" She shook her shoulders to get rid of Henry's hand on her and wrapped her arms around herself. He know realized how silly he had been and apologized.

"I'm sorry, babe. I just, you know, I don't want us to end up like Josh and Delia. I don't want you to talk to your friends about our problems without coming to me first. And I want you to be happy and hundred percent satisfied."

"I know, you proved that this morning." She winked at him. "And I would never ever talk to others about our sexual relationship without coming to you first. In general, I don't want people to know about that stuff. It's intimate and only ours. And just so you know, I don't think I even have to worry about stuff like that, because you make sure I'm well taken care of."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. I know you're not like Delia and you respect what we have." Henry could now see how stupid he was the way he acted.

"Exactly, but it's cute to see when your insecurities come up." She grinned at him and he put his hand back on her back, knowing that she was right.

"Are you could? Do you want to go home?" He worriedly asked feeling her shiver under his touch. They grabbed their stuff and made their way towards Henry's car.

"You know what, I think that was the first fight we ever had." Elizabeth said.

"If you say so. But I don't really think it was a fight..."

"Well, you made me angry, so it felt like one." She gave his butt a little squeeze before continuing. "But now we're good and that's all that matters." They drove back to Henry's apartment listening to some music and being glad to have each other.

 _continued with RATED M section!!!_

During the car ride, Henry had his hand on her thigh for most of the time making Elizabeth feel all hot and bothered. When they walked up the stairs to his apartment she was already all over him, touching him in places he didn't want anyone to see. Henry quickly picked up on her intentions and felt himself growing hard already. They made their way inside the apartment as quickly as possible and he shut the door behind them while Elizabeth already took off her layers of clothing leaving her just in her bikini again. Walking towards her, she pulled him in for a searing kiss before pushing him on the couch and straddling him.

"Did I tell you how much I love your new bikini?" He said in between kissing her neck.

She chuckled. "Yeah, you did tell me twice already."

She rocked her hips against his bulge making Henry moan loudly. She quickly got off of him to take off his clothes before descending back on his naked body.

Henry used the chance trying to stop her while she was still in her bikini." Elizabeth, babe, we shouldn't do this here. Come on, let's move to the bedroom."

"No, it's perfect here." She replied, while already pumping his dick in her hand.

"I don't have any condoms here." Henry cried out in between Elizabeth's stimulation.

"Don't worry, I got that covered." She leaned back to grab her pants that were lying on the floor and fished a condom out of her back pocket. She smiled sheepishly at Henry and rolled it down Henry's length.

"You surprise me every time." He said, before getting hold of her bikini and taking it off. She descended on him and their gazes locked.

"You're stunning."

"You're big."

They laughed and she took his dick in her hand and guided him to her entrance. She cried out loudly when he slipped into her and he worriedly looked at her.

"I told you, you're big. And I've never tried this position before." She whispered into his ear. Henry gave her some time to adjust, kissing her passionately in the meantime and roaming her body. After a couple of minutes, she started rocking her hips and they fell into a steady rhythm, both of them breathing hard and crying out each other's names. Henry knew she was close, so he decided to try something new. He stopped their movements leaving her whimpering and pressed his fingers to her clit instead. Elizabeth came immediately with him still buried deep inside her. She cried his name loudly in ecstasy with her fingernails digging into Henry's back. He felt her internal muscles squeezing him, but he tried to remain completely still. Once she came down from her high, he gave her some time to catch her breath before starting to rock his hips again. Still stimulated from her high, Elizabeth moaned loudly, her erected nipples rubbing on his chest. Her sweaty body on top of him already made him lose his mind. Henry let his hands wander down her back to get a hold of her bottom to fasten the pace. Elizabeth was more than willing to do so and after a couple of minutes, Henry couldn't hold off anymore. He thrusted into her once more and came loudly while spilling into her and taking her with him. Afterwards, Elizabeth fell completely limb in his arms too exhausted to move and she felt him softening inside her. Henry quickly pulled out of her and got rid of the condom, before pulling Elizabeth into his side.

"Are you ok? Did I hurt you?" Henry asked after she remained silent.

"That was unbelievable. I never experienced anything like that before." She lovingly looked up at him before continuing. "How do you exactly know what to do to make me feel so good?" Henry felt incredibly proud at her comment and gave her a warm smile.

"Because I love you and everything feels so easy with you. I never felt that before with anyone else." He honestly said and she fell back into his arms trying to bury her skin in his. They sat there for a few minutes, before Henry proposed to make dinner while she went for a shower. Elizabeth gladly accepted and promised him to wash the dishes later, so he could shower. After dinner, they sat down on the couch again and decided to watch a movie. Afterwards, they decided on going to bed early thinking about classes they had the next morning. Once they got settled in bed, they lazily kissed each other until he felt her drifting to sleep. Lying next to her in the dark, he thought about how lucky he was to have found her.


	13. Little talks

A/N: Writing this chapter made me realize that it is probably total nonsense for them to use their phones that often, generationwise I mean. Anyway, let's pretend their generation already used technology as much as we do.

And just so you know, I'm still waiting for an update on lost love letters... _Not looking at anyone ;)_

As both of them had to attend classes the following week, they didn't see much of each other. Elizabeth had to study a lot and in between breaks she hung out with her friends in the park while Henry was busy doing research on his next paper. At first, he didn't mind too much being separated from each other for a day, but by Wednesday night he was feeling miserable, missing her more than he ever thought possible. Going to bed early, he wondered if she felt the same about him. After finishing all his classes late in the afternoon the next day and having dinner in the cafeteria on campus Henry decided he couldn't wait any longer, so he made his way towards Elizabeth's dorm room to surprise her. Walking there, he suddenly realized that he didn't even know if she was there or somewhere else like in the library, but he thought it was worth a try. Knocking on her door, Henry hoped she wouldn't get mad at him for showing up unannounced because he knew that Elizabeth didn't like surprises.

Elizabeth lay in bed reading a book when she heard a knock on the door. Looking at Becky's empty bed she sighed before lazily getting out of her comfortable sheets to open the door. Looking up, she couldn't hide the surprised look on her face when she saw her boyfriend standing in the doorway.

"Henry, hi. I didn't expect to see you here. I'm sorry, did we have a date?" She tried to think about the last conversion they had, but she was pretty sure he didn't mention anything when he had called her on Tuesday night.

"Oh no, we didn't have a date. I just missed you and I wanted to see you." He responded and his heart dropped a beat when her lips turned into a smile.

"I missed you too." She leaned forward and gave him the sweetest kiss. They broke apart and Henry whispered to her.

"By the way, you look really cute." Elizabeth blushed, only now realizing that she only wore her pyjamas, a dark grey sweatshirt combined with oversized sports shorts and her hair still wet from the shower.

"Like I said, I didn't expect to see you here..." She looked down feeling his strong gaze on her.

"Well, do you want me to leave?" He asked timidly. Henry wasn't sure if she was happy about being him there, but Elizabeth quickly reassured him.

"Of course not, silly. I'm glad you came over. Come on in." She took his hand and pulled him into her room. Looking around, it was once again her turn to be embarrassed. "I'm sorry for the mess." She quickly collected some of the books lying on the floor, but Henry stopped her by resting his hand on her arm.

"Elizabeth, it's fine. I know you're not the most tidy person on earth. It's fine, just relax."

"And by that you actually mean that you know I'm messy." He laughed at her response before pulling her closer to kiss her. When they broke apart, Elizabeth motioned them to sit on the bed. Looking at the

rumpled sheets, Henry frowned.

"Babe, have you been sleeping? Did I wake you?"

"No, I've just been reading in bed. Jeez, Henry, it's only eight. That would have been very grandmotherly, don't you think?"

Henry chuckled. "Kinda." He put his arm around her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her wet hair.

"You know, you could have called and given me the chance to dress up a little. "

"I know, but I wanted to surprise you and it doesn't matter what you're wearing. You look gorgeous no matter what."

"At least I would have had the chance to put on a bra." Henry knew she liked to give snarky comments but he saw the smile on her face and knew she liked his surprise even if she didn't want to admit it. "Works for me." He mumbled quietly and Elizabeth pretended she didn't hear it, but Henry saw the blush forming on her cheeks giving her away. He leaned in to kiss her cheek before whispering. "I missed you so very much. You have no idea."

"I did too. The weekend was perfect."

"It was." He said, before adding. "And so was Monday morning." He winked at Elizabeth and she simply responded by squeezing his thigh lightly. They enjoyed the silence in each other's arms before Elizabeth curiously asked.

"So why are you out here this late?"

"I just had class and afterwards dinner with friends in the cafeteria, so I thought I drop by."

"It's good you did. I couldn't have studied any longer. This book is killing me." She picked up the book that was lying on her pillow and dropped it to the floor.

She lay down on the pillows looking expectantly at Henry. "Come here." She tucked at his hand, but he didn't move. Instead he looked over to Becky's side of the room. "I shouldn't keep you from studying. Besides, Becky is probably going to be back soon..."

"No, she's out with friends and I've studied enough for today. So will you please come closer." Elizabeth pulled him down again and this time he didn't refuse. His mouth found hers and he held his weight above her by resting his arms next to her head. It quickly got heated and Elizabeth was already roaming his body.

"Honey, we shouldn't be doing this here." He tried to pull back, but Elizabeth held him firmly in position.

"Then why did you come here?" Eyes closed, the words slipped out of her before she even realized what she had just said. Henry just starred at her in shock.

"Are you serious? You think I'm only here because I wanted to have sex with you?" He backed away from her into a sitting position.

"No, of course not. You know what I mean..." She tried to calm him, but he was furious.

"I'm not sure I do. I came here because I missed you and wanted to see you, feel your presence instead of just hearing your voice. Not because I wanted to take advantage of your body." He said that with a serious tone.

"Henry, I know that. Come on, I didn't mean what I said I was just teasing. I want you so badly I can't think clearly anymore. Ever since this weekend, I can't think of anything else than to feel you inside me. I love you so much." Her eyes had that pleading look and he couldn't resist.

"I love you too." He went back to hover above her and she smiled at him.

"Besides, tell me how much you like it when you're inside of me."

"There's no words in the world to describe that feeling." He honestly told her, his gaze never leaving hers. She took his hand on hers and lead him under her shirt to her breasts, moaning when he gave her a firm massage.

Afterwards they lay tangled in the sheets, sweating and catching their breaths. Elizabeth propped her head on her elbow in order to look Henry in the eyes.

"Babe, I'm sorry about earlier. I know that our relationship is so much more than just sex and I shouldn't have said anything like that." She rested a hand on his chest to fiddle his chest hair.

"I know. And while I didn't come here for sex I couldn't have imagined a better way to spend this evening with you." He grinned at her and she agreed by nodding her head. They stayed silent for a minute before Henry continued.

"Hey, do you remember when I called you Tuesday night I asked you about the long weekend that's coming up next week. Did you make plans yet?" He looked at her questionably.

"Well, Delia asked me to join her on her trip to Greensburg. Her sister is going to Seton Hill University and invited us to have a girl's weekend, mani and pedi, spar, massages, you know, all that kind of stuff. I really like Dana and it would be nice to see her again, but I didn't commit yet, if that's what you want to know." She glanced at him knowing that he probably wanted to do something with her.

"That sounds like fun, but yeah, I actually had this crazy idea..."

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking about going home to Pittsburgh, with you. If you'd like to... I mean, you don't have to, obviously. But I'd like for you to come with me...?" He looked up at her, seeing the frown on her face.

"I don't know, Henry. I mean, meeting your family is a huge step and I'm not sure if I'm ready for that." Seeing the disappointment on his fact she continued. " I appreciate you asking me and I know how much it means to you and I'd love to meet them at some point..." Henry interrupted her.

"Hey, it's fine. No pressure. We don't have to go up there on the long weekend."

"You know what, you should definitely go visit and I'll just think about it, ok? I don't want to keep you from your family.

"Are you sure? We could do something else together."

"No, please, I want you to go."

"Ok." Changing the subject, he asked. "So what do you want to do this weekend?"

"Ok, so here's the deal. It's Natalie's birthday this weekend and she rented that huge cabin slash house in George Washington and Jefferson national forest where she's throwing a party on Saturday and she invited us to come. What do you think?" Elizabeth couldn't hide the excitement from him so he tried to sound as excited as her.

"Sure. That sounds great." He tried to be convincing but Elizabeth could see right through him.

"Oh, you don't wanna go." She looked away in disappointment.

"No, I do. I just thought it would be nice to spend the weekend alone with you instead of hanging out at a party." Elizabeth's disappointment turned into a smile.

"Well, it's a good thing I didn't finish yet. I was thinking that we could drive up at noon and go hiking around the area before joining the others. And we don't have to stay at the party too long. It's too cold for camping but we could sleep in your car. It should be big enough if we push the backseats down and put in an air mattress." She stopped when Henry started to chuckle. "What?"

"Wow, you really put a lot of thought into it. I'd say it's already decided."

"No, if you really don't want to..."

"We're going. It's decided." He leaned forward to give her a quick smooch before untangling himself from her and getting out of bed.

"Where are you going?" Elizabeth asked while he got dressed.

"Eh, I don't live here, remember? And your roommate is probably going to be here soon, so I should get going. And you have class tomorrow morning."

"You're right. You're such a responsible boyfriend. Just come over here and give me a proper goodnight kiss." Henry leaned down to cup her cheek and sucked her lower lip gently. They broke apart when they heard the door open with Becky walking in.

"I think that's my cue to leave. Are we still on for dinner tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow night. Sleep well."

"Goodnight." Henry walked to the door with greeting Becky on his way out. Once the door was closed, Becky turned towards Elizabeth with raised eyebrows. But Elizabeth just sighed and flopped back on bed.


	14. Break-ups and commitment issues

A/N: I'm not sure if people even read my story anymore, because I barely get reviews but I hope it just means that people are too lazy and I totally get it. I used to be the same way.

The following night, Henry picked Elizabeth up and they drove to Elizabeth's favorite Mexican restaurant in the area. Henry noticed that she was eerily quiet and wondered why she was so tense.

"Are you ok?" He finally dared to ask thinking that maybe he did something wrong.

"I'm good." She responded with her thoughts miles away.

"What are you thinking about?" He tried to keep her going, but she didn't respond for a minute. Suddenly she turned towards him with a serious expression on her face.

"You wouldn't dare to date Delia or Natalie if we broke up, would you?"

"What are you talking about? We're not breaking up." Henry was confused by her question.

"Just answer the question, please."

"Of course I wouldn't do that. It's cruel to even think about it. Hold on, where is all of this coming from?"

"Apparently, Natalie and Josh just started dating and now Delia refuses to talk to her, which I totally get, but still, it sucks. And she also decided to skip Natalie's party, because Josh it's probably gonna be there..." Elizabeth fell silent again and Henry squeezed her hand lightly.

"I know it sucks and it's a lot of drama right now, but they'll get over it eventually. Don't worry too much about it." He looked at his girlfriend and saw her nodding her head in agreement.

"You're right."

"But speaking of the party when do you wanna leave tomorrow?" They made plans for the next day and when they arrived at the restaurant, Elizabeth felt more relaxed and ready to enjoy her night with Henry. The food was amazing and they ended up going to the movies afterwards, because Elizabeth was craving popcorn. They watched a horror thriller and Elizabeth held on to Henry's arm during the movie too afraid to let go. At the end of the night, he dropped her off at her dorm and kissed her goodnight after promising that he would pack all the stuff they needed for sleeping in the car the next day. He watched her walk in and made his way back to his apartment. He wondered if he should talk to Josh but they've never been anywhere close to being best buddies and Henry didn't really want to be involved in all that drama. He already felt bad enough about Elizabeth being teared down by all of this, so he decided to do everything he could to cheer her up this weekend.

The next day, he picked her up as planned and they drove up to the national forest. It turned out that Henry's worry about having to cheer her up was totally unnecessary, because she was in the best mood ever. The moment they were sitting in the car, she started talking about nothing and everything at the same time. After an endless long monologue she gave him about the importance of having guilty pleasures, he couldn't hide his laughter anymore.

"What are you laughing about?" She gave him a confused look.

"First of all, where did you get these informing? It's not even making sense! And secondly, why are you in such a good mood. After yesterday, I thought I was the one who had to cheer you up."

"Just so you know, I read a study on that. So everything I just told you about is true. And why shouldn't I be in a good mood? We had a great date yesterday and now we're going to spend the whole weekend together. It's exciting! Plus, I thought about that whole Natalie-Delia-drama last night and it made me realize how lucky we are. We shouldn't have to deal with their relationship problems and just focus on ours." Elizabeth turned towards him, but before he could reply she turned up the volume of the radio. "Oh my gosh, I love this song!"

Henry once again was amazed how much he enjoyed her company. Elizabeth managed to entertain him the whole drive without annoying him at all but he also enjoyed the silent moments between them, when there were no words needed to express their feelings. During the hike, Elizabeth once again experienced how fit Henry was. She herself was in great shape, but compared to her boyfriend, she didn't feel it at all. Catching up with him, she gave him a smart comment about women's bodies being less muscular than men's and he immediately got it and turned to apologize. They took a small break and afterwards it was Elizabeth's turn to set the pace. They arrived back at their car late in the afternoon to drive to the party cabin. Upon arriving, they greeted Natalie and helped her to prepare everything before they went to take a quick shower and get changed. When guests were arriving, Elizabeth made her way around knowing almost everyone of the guests while Henry went to hang out with some of these guys he knew. When she came to see him two hours later, he could tell that she was pretty drunk already. Before she dragged him to the dance floor, Henry persuaded her to at least drink one glass of water. Having some birthday shots with the others, dancing some more and her getting all over him, he could tell that it was time for her to stop drinking. Henry asked her to take a walk outside and she gladly accepted. He grabbed another water bottle for her and they walked into the cold night. After about half an hour, Elizabeth felt like herself again and had a crazy idea.

"Oh my gosh, Henry, you know what we should do? We should go to the hot springs!" The hot springs were only 5 minutes away from the cabin and they had spotted them earlier that day.

"I don't know... It's dark, you're drunk and" he couldn't finish because Elizabeth interrupted.

"Come on, Henry, please! I'm only a little tipsy and we have flashlights in the car. Please!!!" She looked at him with puppy eyes and she knew he couldn't resist. He sighed before giving in.

"Fine, let me grab the flashlights and some towels first." He went to the car and then they walked to the hot springs. Elizabeth was over the moon excited behaving like a child, but he held on to her hand tightly while she jumped up and down next to him. Arriving at the hot springs, she quickly got undressed leaving her split naked in front of him. She gave him a wink and jumped into the water leaving Henry speechless. He knew she was only that bolt because of the alcohol in her system, but he couldn't resist and quickly followed her example. They splashed around in the water for a few minutes before Elizabeth was suddenly all over him again. They started kissing passionately hands roaming each other's bodies under the hot water.

 _START OF M RATED SECTION!!!_

Elizabeth moaned into his mouth and started to stroke his length passionately under the water.

"Babe, please stop. You're drunk..." He barely managed to bring out these words, being more than ready to take her.

"Believe me, this has nothing to do with me drinking. I know you want this too." She seductively whispered into his ear making him buck into her hand.

"I do, but we shouldn't. We don't have protection." He suddenly remembered that the condoms were back in the car.

"Don't worry about that. I've been taking the pill for a while now. You know, just in case." She winked at him.

"Still, I'd rather be 100 percent safe."

"Henry, you can never be 100 percent safe! You haven't been sleeping with anyone else since we've been together, have you?" She suddenly wondered if there was maybe another reason for him hesitating.

"Of course not! I just don't want to be rash."

"I'm telling you, we're fine." She went back to kissing his neck and squeezing his groin making Henry loose his mind.

"If you say so." He swatted her hand away and entered her in one swift movement. Elizabeth clamped her legs around his hips and he thrusted into her in a steady rhythm. The water pickled on their skin and the sound of the water crashing against their skin joined their soft moans. Henry came first, spilling his seams into her. Trying to take Elizabeth with him, he massaged her clit firmly sending her over the edge as well. Coming down from their high, they pulled apart to catch their breaths. Elizabeth suddenly felt overheated so she leaned back against the rock in order to cool down.

"You're alright?" Henry asked while putting his arm around her.

"I'm great." She paused for a moment. "I liked that."

"I hope so, I did too." Henry responded with a chuckle.

"No, that's not what I meant. I didn't think it would feel different without a condom, but it does. I felt closer to you and I liked that." She looked at him hoping that he would get it.

"It is better, but don't get used to it. I don't want us to get into trouble, at least not for now." He responded, pressing a kiss on her temple.

"Not for now?" Elizabeth grinned and made Henry blush.

" You know what I mean..."

"I think it means that you want to have kids someday." Elizabeth matter of factly said.

"I do. Do you?"

"Yeah. You know, once I've met the right guy..." She joked and Henry started tickling her side. They stayed in the water for a couple more minutes before Henry proposed to head back to the house. It was almost two in the morning, but the party was still going. People were dancing around almost naked, still playing drinking games and making out with strangers. Elizabeth saw Natalie and Josh making out on the couch and she couldn't stand the sight of that. She glanced at Henry and he silently nodded, knowing that she had enough for tonight. After heading to the bathroom, she made her way to the car where she found him only in his boxers prepping their bed. Elizabeth flashed him her most beautiful smile when getting into the car.

"This is the most romantic sleepover in a car ever. You know, a sleeping bag would have made it for me." She looked at the pillows and blanket he had wrapped in fleece sheets and couldn't feel anything but love.

"I know but it wouldn't be the sa..." He stopped talking when Elizabeth took off her shirt right in front of him.

"What are you staring at?" She said while putting on her pyjama shirt and expertly pulling out her bra through the sleeves. "Do I need my joggings or are you gonna keep me warm?" She asked not waiting for his answer before crawling under the sheets next to him. They lay down facing each other, their mouths slowly coming closer together before locking lips. It was a very gentle kiss, but it expressed so much love radiating from both of them. "I love you." Elizabeth said while nestling herself against Henry's body. "I love you too." Henry fell asleep quickly, exhausted by the long day. But Elizabeth stayed awake for quite a while, wondering if they did the right thing. Having sobered up over the last couple of hours, she now realized how fast they were going in this relationship and it scared her. Even the comment about kids seemed to be innocent and yet, it somehow unsettled her. She knew it was mostly herself who was pushing their relationship forward by seducing Henry as often as possible and persuading him to do crazy things with her, but she simply couldn't think clearly around him. He made it so easy and uncomplicated for her to commit to this relationship, but somehow she wasn't sure if that's what she really wanted. Elizabeth took in the smell of him around her. Her feet were tangled around his limbs and she had to admit she liked it, but was it enough for her to make a commitment?

The next morning, Henry woke up early to find Elizabeth still sleeping. Looking at his watch he saw that it was only eight in the morning and decided to let her sleep for a couple more hours. Turning to look at her, he wondered if he should bring up the visit to Pittsburgh again, but he also didn't want to push her. It honesty hurt his feelings when she postponed her decision, but he knew that it was a big step and meeting your partner's parents is always nerve wrecking. Elizabeth woke up an hour later to find him starring at her.

"You know, it's kinda creeping me out to wake up to you staring at me." Elizabeth said in an amused tone.

"Good morning to you too." Henry responded and leaned down to kiss her. But Elizabeth quickly covered her mouth.

"Don't, I probably have morning breath."

"I really don't care." He swatted away her hand and pressed his lips firmly on hers. Breaking apart, Henry reached into his boxers and started pumping himself.

"What are you doing?" She looked at him in disbelief, not being used to his boldness.

"What does it look like?" He reached forward to grab his bag and pulled out a condom from the side pocket. "But this time, I'm not taking any risks." He quickly pulled the condom down his length before hovering over Elizabeth.

"Do you trust me?" He asked her while his lips ghosted over her nose.

"You know I do." Taking her response as permission, he turned her around so she was lying flat on her stomach and pulled down her slip. On his way, he quickly tested her entrance with his finger making her gasp. Before Elizabeth knew what was happening he lay down on top of her by holding his weight on his elbows and forcefully pushed into her. Elizabeth cried out loudly, both from pain and pleasure. She wasn't ready to take him in yet, but feeling him pressing inside her aroused her to no end.

"Are you insane? You can't just do that without giving me a heads up!" Henry ignored her protest and started to push himself in and out of her in a regular rhythm. He groaned every time he entered her, thinking that he had never felt anything more satisfying, he just had the urge to be inside her. Elizabeth cried out every time he penetrated her and she had to admit she liked him having control of her body like this. He used her to satisfy his own needs and at the same time made sure that she wasn't left behind. He made sure that she was still on board with their little act and started to pick up their pace. He was now frantically thrusting into her as fast as possible, losing himself completely in her. It couldn't be more different from their usual love making, but Elizabeth enjoyed every second of it. It hurt when he entered her that forcefully, but it also pleasured her more than she ever thought possible. She knew he was close and she reached a hand down to stimulate her clit. She put pressure on it the same time that Henry hit her spot making her scream his name while reaching her climax. Henry continued thrusting into her while she was trying to recover from her high. He held back for a couple more minutes before finally letting go and spilling into her taking her with him once again by simulating her clit with his thumb. She cried out, her legs shaking under him and he collapsed on top of her. Rolling off of her, he knew that his animalistic need for her had taken over showing a much rougher Henry than she was used to.

"What the hell was that?" She mumbled while turning to lie on her back.

"That was me needing you. Are you ok? Did I hurt you?"

"Yeah, you did. But it felt amazing." She grinned at him and a proud smile formed on his face. They put on some clothes and walked over to the house to grab a shower. Upon entering, they couldn't ignore the mess. People were lying around everywhere in between bottles and plastic cups. Making their way to the bathroom, they decided to head out as quickly as possible to avoid hungover people. Elizabeth quickly showered while Henry brushed his teeth and then they changed. When they were back in the car, Henry proposed to drive back to UVA and stop at a cafe on their way to grab breakfast. Driving there, Elizabeth joked around about their sex life being way too active, but Henry knew that she was happier than ever and just felt guilty, because her friends weren't anywhere close to that. That's why he was more than surprised when she brought up her thoughts from the night before at breakfast.

" You know, I couldn't sleep last night, so I've done some thinking about this, us..." She stopped to look up at him.

" Ok..." Henry wasn't quite sure where this was going. Elizabeth shifted around in her seat trying to find the right words.

"We've only been dating for three months and it made me think that usually that would be the time for me to get the hell out. I'm not good at making commitments and talking about kids and meeting your parents, it kinda freaked me out. I love what we have, but it got serious so fast and suddenly we're all in and I don't know if I want this." She tried to read his face, hoping that he would get what she meant.

"What are you saying? Are you breaking up with me?" Henry said in shock, not expecting any of this. Elizabeth stayed silent for a moment and he continued. "Please, don't do this. I'm sorry, I didn't think that meeting my parents was such a big deal and you know, we were only joking about kids..." Elizabeth interrupted him before he could continue this.

"Henry, stop. I'm not breaking up with you. I'm just saying that I got scared by the pace of our relationship. But then, I realized that what we have is special and different from any previous relationship I had. I don't like making commitments, but making one to you is worth it. So I decided it would be nice to meet your family next weekend if you still want me to come, but I was thinking that I don't wanna overdo it and just meet them on Monday. What do you think?" Elizabeth took his hand and Henry sighed in relief.

"Oh my gosh, Elizabeth, don't you ever do this again. You just scared the crap out of me! Of course, I still want you to come and one day is more than enough." He was still trying to regain his composure. "I honestly thought you were breaking us up. Listen, if we're moving too fast, we'll just slow down. I don't want you to freak out. And for the record, we weren't really talking about having kids just yet."

"I know. Although, it would be nice to have kids someday." She added with a timid smile.

"True." He gave her an equal look. "So we're good?"

"Yeah, we are. I guess I was just worried about nothing, but I felt like you should know." They finished their breakfast and Henry paid the bill for them. Back in the car, Elizabeth was just replaying their conversation in her head. Turning to Henry, she said.

"You know, I wouldn't break up with you in a public place. That's just cruel."

"Well, thanks for letting me know. But honestly, I was too much in shock to even think about that." They started driving again and Henry just took a moment to calm his mind again, after such a nerve wrecking breakfast.

"So you wanna drive up there on Monday?" Henry turned to face her.

"Actually, I was thinking about spending the weekend with Delia and Dana in Greensburg and than drive up to Pittsburgh on Monday morning. That way, we could drive back to UVA together on Monday evening, after spending the day with your family." She glanced at him waiting for his response.

"That sounds great. I'd like that. I'll tell my mom, she'll be over the moon excited to meet you." He excitedly said.

"You already told her about us?" Elizabeth answered in surprise.

"Of course I did. You're my girlfriend and I love you." She smiled at him and she knew that she made the right decision to commit to him even if it meant meeting his family next week. She turned her face towards the window and closed her eyes to get some more sleep before she would have to start studying again later that day.


	15. Unicorns and poking smot

A/N: Don't get your hopes up, she is not meeting Henry's family yet. I'm really struggling with it, so I decided to write this instead.

Elizabeth and Henry only saw each other on Tuesday and Thursday on campus for coffee break, both of them busy with classes and exams. Elizabeth knew that he was really excited to go to Pittsburgh this weekend, he barely could stop talking about it and she was happy for him even though she had mixed feelings about meeting his family. They sat in the cafeteria, both of them skimming over texts while drinking their coffee when Henry interrupted her thoughts.

"How about you come over for dinner tonight?" Henry asked, but Elizabeth didn't respond, still concentrating on her work. "Hello? Earth to Elizabeth, did you hear what I just said?"

"Hmm?" She looked up with a confused look on her face.

"I was asking if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight. Since I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon, I thought it would be nice to spend some time together."

"Sure. Sounds good. I just have to finish a paper today, but afterwards I'll come over." She gave him a quick smile before returning her attention to the text in front of her. Henry watched her for a minute before he decided it was time to leave for his next class. He pecked her on the cheek and said goodbye, but he doubted she even noticed.

Later that night, he started cooking risotto for them and waited for her to come over. Elizabeth arrived around eight, out of breath and in her runners.

"Whoa, hey, have you been running to get here?" Henry asked while greeting her with a hug.

"Yes, I'm sorry it took me so long, but the paper still needed some work." She returned his hug and turned towards the food.

"It smells amazing in here. What are you making?"

"I cooked some risotto. It's done in a minute, do you want something to drink?"

"Sure." She got rid of her jacket leaving her in a sweater and leggings that accentuated her lean legs and firm ass. Without turning around she said to him. "Babe, stop staring." Henry quickly looked away.

"I swear I wasn't... How did you know?" Elizabeth chuckled and turned to face him.

"It's my magic superpower." They sat down to eat and Elizabeth told him about her plans with the girls.

" We're gonna have a whole beauty day, attend the party of the year and they were gonna drive up to Pittsburgh on Monday anyways to do some shopping, so they are gonna drop me off first thing in the morning." She told him during dinner.

"Good." Henry suddenly worried about the party at Seton knowing how much trouble these university parties brought along. "Listen, you're gonna be careful on Saturday, right? I don't want anything happen to you or doing you things that you'll regret."

"Ok, dad." Elizabeth chuckled. "Of course I'll be careful. Don't worry, I'm not gonna hang myself onto some stranger's neck or drink myself into oblivion. I'll be the most faithful girlfriend ever." She reassured him, but he still looked worried.

"It's not that I don't trust you. It's just... I still remember how we met, don't you?" He hated to bring that up, but he didn't want her to be careless.

"Oh boy, thanks for reminding me of that." He knew she was getting grumpy.

"I'm sorry, but you know what I mean, right?" He offered in a more gentle tone.

"I do. If it makes you feel better I'll call when we get back from the party or send you a text."

"Just call me, please." He said before changing the subject. "Do you like the risotto?"

"I absolutely love it, but I'm stuffed."

M RATED!

After dinner, they retreated to the couch and Elizabeth lay down with Henry on top of her. They started kissing passionately, but when Henry started to pull down her pants, she stopped him.

"What's wrong?" He looked up at her in confusion not knowing what he did to upset her.

"Nothing. I just... I don't want to." She didn't dare to meet his eyes and to see him hurting.

"Oh, ok. That's alright. I didn't realize..." He stopped before asking. "Is it because of the last time? Have I been too rough?" Henry started doubting himself.

"No, of course not. That was amazing. And it's not that I don't want to, I just can't." Elizabeth looked at him hoping he would get the hint.

"Why?" Obviously he didn't. Elizabeth lost her patience.

" I have my period, ok?" She turned crimson not wanting to spell it out for him.

"That's it? Why didn't you say that earlier? I really don't mind." He went back to kissing her and opening the buttons on her shirt. Elizabeth didn't expect that, but quickly stopped him again.

"But I do mind. I don't wanna gross you out." She hated that they had to have this conversation.

"Elizabeth, babe, can you please look at me." She slowly looked up. "It's not new to me what happens to a woman's body. It's human nature and nothing to be ashamed of. And just so you know, I heard that women enjoy sex even more during their period, so you're really missing out on something." That made Elizabeth laugh and he joined in.

"Where did you get that from?"

"Doesn't matter. You know what, we haven't had shower sex yet... Just saying." He didn't give up, not after being sex deprived for five days. Elizabeth felt her resistance flying and Henry could tell by the way she was biting her lip.

"Come on, I know you've always wanted to do it in the shower."

"Fine, just give me a minute." She got up and walked into the bathroom. When she told him to come in, he'd already undressed down to his boxers and she stood split naked in front of him. He quickly got rid off his boxers and grabbed a condom that he pulled over his hardened length. Maneuvering them into the hot water of the shower, he kissed her neck down to her breasts to suck on her nipples. Henry squeezed her behind and when he felt that she was ready he lifted her up against the wall and entered her slowly. Elizabeth gasped when she felt him pressing inside her and clinged to him with all she had.

When they were done, they stood in the shower for a few more minutes washing off the sweat from their skin. Henry got out of the shower first and handed her a towel. Turning to put on his boxers, she asked.

"Can you grab my jacket for me? I need a new..."

"Sure. Give me a sec." He walked to the couch and searched through the pockets. Walking back, he handed her the tampon before kissing her cheek and she took it with a blush. He left the bathroom to give her some privacy and got dressed himself. When Elizabeth entered the room, he walked towards her and picked her up into his arms to kiss her.

"And was it better than usually?" He teased knowing that it probably wasn't true.

"It was just as great as the other times." She grinned and pecked him again. Her hair was still wet from the shower and he offered her a hair dryer.

"Nah, I'm good. I should get back to my dorm anyway. I need to get up early tomorrow." Henry insisted on driving her so they ended up in his car again.

"I'm gonna miss you this weekend." He said while maneuvering the car through the streets.

"Henry, it's only 3 days."

"I know, but when we don't see each other during the week, I always look forward to our weekends together, but now, we don't have that."

"You're cute. But we'll have the whole Monday together, so stop complaining." They stopped in front of her building and she leaned over to kiss him.

"Bye babe, I'll see you on Monday. Have fun with your family."

"Bye. Don't party too hard and call me, ok?"

"Maybe." She flashed him a grin and got out of the car.

On Saturday morning, Elizabeth got picked up by Delia and they started the 4 hour drive to Greensburg. They actually managed to talk for an hour without bringing Natalie up until Delia couldn't hold back anymore.

"Ok, let's get it over with. Was Josh at the party?" Delia desperately asked even though she already knew the answer.

"Yeah, he was."

"With Natalie?"

"What do you want me to say, Delia? Of course they've been there together." Elizabeth hoped she would drop it, not wanting to get in between the fronts.

"You know what, they deserve each other! So tell me about you. Are you nervous about meeting Henry's family on Monday?" Delia changed the subject not wanting to kill the mood.

"Jeez, don't even get me started. I should have never ever agreed to this, it's driving me nuts. But it means so much to Henry and I love him too much to let him down." Elizabeth sighed and turned to face her.

" Oh my gosh, my baby Elizabeth is so in love. It's so cute! You and your honeyboo...

"Stop it Delia, you're such a child!" Elizabeth tried to bring out in between her laugis.

"No, but seriously, I'm really happy for you."

"Yeah, he makes me really happy. And somehow I'm gonna make it through Monday."

They enjoyed the rest of the car ride, just the two of them together and Elizabeth couldn't be happier to have a little girl time with her best friend. When they arrived in Greensburg, they went out for a late lunch with Delia's sister before getting ready for the party. While the others were still prepping, Elizabeth decided to call Henry and he answered the phone after only two rings.

"Hi babe. How are you?" Henry excitedly greeted her.

"Great. We're just getting ready to leave." Elizabeth said before Delia shouted from the background. "Hey Henry, you should see your girl. She looks amazingly hot!"

"I bet you do." Henry responded with a chuckle. "I wish I could see you right now."

"How's your visit going so far?" Elizabeth changed the subject, ignoring his flirty tone.

"I'd say it's going well. I've only had one fight with Maureen and everyone is looking forward to meeting you."

" So am I. Listen, we're leaving now, but I'll talk to you soon."

"Just give me a call when you get back, ok?" Henry worriedly said.

" Come on, stop mommying me." Elizabeth whined into the phone.

"I'm just making sure you're fine and not lying around somewhere on the streets. Just a quick call, ok?" Henry didn't want to be too clingy and motherly, but considering how they met he didn't want to take any chances.

"Ok, fine. Talk to you later." She hung up the phone and even though Henry could be a little annoying when it came to her safety, she also found it really sweet how much he cared about her.

The three girls went to the party and for the first time in a long time Elizabeth really let go and participated in drinking games and smoking weed. She had a great time even though some guys were hitting on her. At one point, one guy didn't leave her alone so Delia swooped in.

"Hey there. Do you mind?" Delia got herself seated next to Elizabeth on the couch and surprised both of them by starting to kiss her. At first, she only locked lips with her, but then she started kissing her best friend with tongue.

"Oh, eh, sorry. I didn't know." The guy walked away as quickly as possible leaving both of them laughing hysterically.

"Thanks for saving me."

"You're welcome. No wonder Henry likes you so much, you're an amazing kisser." Delia said with a wink.

"Get out."

After staying at the party until early in the morning, they decided it was time to head home. Delia and Elizabeth ended up carrying Dana home who was totally knocked out. Before heading to bed, Elizabeth remembered to call Henry so she did.

"Hello?" Henry sleepily answered the phone.

"Hi sleepy head. It's me, the party queen." Elizabeth blared happily into the phone and Henry immediately knew that she was not sober.

"Did you have fun?" Henry asked with a raspy voice.

"I did. I even made out with someone and it was not a unicorn, although I wished it was..." She kept on talking about unicorns, but Henry interrupted her.

"You did what?" Suddenly he was very awake, having to know what was really going on. "You made out with someone?"

"Yeah, that guy was hitting on me and then..." Elizabeth excitedly started to tell him before Henry's angry voice stopped her.

"You made out with him? You cheated on me?" Henry couldn't believe her.

"No, of course not. I was just getting to that. Anyways, Delia is such a nice kisser by the way..." Henry was very confused now.

"Wait, you made out with Delia?"

"Kinda. You know what, it would be nice to have a unicorn. Can you get me one?" Elizabeth just talked and talked interrupted by giggles and didn't make any sense to him.

"Babe, are you high?" Henry knew that something was going on.

"Maybe. We might have poked some smot. Wait, no, that was wrong. I meant smoked some pot." Henry heard Delia join into Elizabeth's laughter and he couldn't help but smile himself. Their giggles continued and Henry knew it was time for him to leave them alone.

"Listen babe, thanks for calling. I'll see you on Monday, ok?" Henry wasn't sure what was going on at the other end, he just heard Delia making weird noise and screaming Elizabeth's name, so he just hung up knowing that she was not paying attention to her phone right now. Putting his phone back on his nightstand, he once again realized that Elizabeth was a couple of years younger than him even though she oftentimes seemed so mature and experienced for her age, but deep down she was still transitioning into adulthood. He realized it the first time they were sleeping together and tonight showed him that she was still trying to find her limits. But he liked that about her, the fact that she was still inexperienced and growing into herself while he himself had already found a balance. Soon after he hung up, he fell asleep again while Elizabeth and Delia were still hysterically laughing and taking pictures of Dana being completely knocked out. At five in the morning, they finally came down from their high and fell asleep on the floor of Dana's dorm room.

When Elizabeth got up the next morning, she felt her head pounding but other than that she felt surprisingly good. Looking at the clock, she saw that it was already noon and decided to get some coffee for all of them. On her way there, she remembered her phone call with Henry last night and decided to apologize to him.

"Henry, hi, I'm so sorry about last night."

"Technically, it was this morning. But what are you sorry about?"

"I was talking about unicorns, smoking pot and... Wait are you not mad?" Elizabeth was confused.

"No, I'm glad you had some fun. Did you really make out with Delia though ?" Henry still recalled the making out part of their conversation.

"We just kissed you jerk. But it was really hot, you should have seen it."

"I bet. Listen, I gotta go now but I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, about that..." Elizabeth quietly said.

"Did you change your mind about coming?" Henry tried not to sound too upset.

"Haha, no, I'm just messing with you. See you." She blew a kiss into the speaker and hung up without waiting for his response. Henry on the other hand just chuckled. By now, he was used to his girlfriend's antics.

When Elizabeth got back, Dana puked her guts out in the toilet while Delia tried to make herself presentable by concealing the bags under her eyes. After having coffee, they decided to have a beauty day. Elizabeth got a little haircut, new colored toenails, polished fingernails, a complete body wax and moody face masks. At the end, they all enjoyed a relaxing massage before hanging out at the swimming pool. Later on, they went out for sushi and Elizabeth couldn't imagine a better way to end the day. Even Dana enjoyed the day even though she was still hungover. They went to bed early after watching a movie, because they had to drive up to Pittsburgh the next day to drop off Elizabeth. She and Delia shared a mattress on the floor, but while Delia was sleeping, Elizabeth couldn't stop thinking about the next day. At some point during the night Delia woke up to find Elizabeth still wide awake.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you sleeping?" Delia asked with a groggy sleeping voice.

"I don't know." But both of them knew it wasn't true.

"Are you that nervous?" Delia knew that her best friend was worried about the next day.

"I just don't want them to hate me."

"Honey, that's impossible! Nobody hates you. You're the most likeable person on earth."

"That's nice of you to say that. I miss having girltime with you like this."

"That is because you always hang out with Henry these days."

"That's not true, is it?"

"Well, not all the time. But you have to admit that we barely see each other anywhere else than the cafeteria for lunch break. I get it though, I could never satisfy you the way he does." Delia winked at her making Elizabeth blush.

"Shut up. I'm not gonna talk about that with you."

Delia went back to sleep and Elizabeth also closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep.


	16. Meeting the family

A/N: This one is for GossipGirlAddict. You know, just this one time ;).

They arrived at the McCord house shortly after ten. Elizabeth hugged Dana and Delia goodbye and thanked them for the incredible fun weekend they had spend together. While they promised each other to repeat that as soon as possible, Henry walked out of the house to welcome his girlfriend.

"Wait a minute, that hottie over there is your boyfriend?" Dana joked around not having met Henry yet before she started the car.

Elizabeth just grinned at her and made her way towards him. Henry quickly pecked her on the lips and welcomed her into his embrace, very aware of his mother watching through the window.

"Hi. I'm so happy you're finally here."

"Me too." She gave him a beautiful smile and he caressed her cheek.

"Wow, you look stunning. And I like your new haircut."

Henry immediately noticed that she had done some beauty work this weekend.

"Thank you. It cost me a fortune but the place was amazing." She took his hand and they started walking up the stairs.

"Hey, uhm, you didn't mention anything to your family about me being high, did you?" Elizabeth worriedly asked.

"No, I didn't." He chuckled. "Although, I have to say you were very entertaining." They stopped in front of the door. And Henry moved his hand up to open the door, but Elizabeth suddenly stopped him.

"Wait!" Henry turned to her in surprise. "Just give me a sec, ok?" Elizabeth looked at the door trying to collect herself.

"Babe, you don't have to be nervous. I'm right here with you." Henry hadn't realized how difficult it was for her to meet his family.

"Easy for you to say." She murmured, but he heard her. He took hold of her shoulders and turned her to face him.

"What's going on?" Henry saw that she was clearly not herself right now."

"I don't know how to do this whole meeting-your-parents-thing, ok? I've never done it and it's not like I had a lot of practice with mine." Elizabeth was on the verge of tears so Henry took her in his arms and tried to calm her.

"I promise you, it's not as bad as you think it is. And no matter what happens in there, I'll be right here with you and I swear to god I'll make sure that you're alright. Ok?" Henry promised her, eliciting a small smirk from her.

"Ok." Elizabeth clinched to his hand and Henry opened the door to let them in. Henry let her into the living room to introduce her to everyone.

"Elizabeth, this is my mum Patricia, my dad Patrick, my sisters Maureen and Erin and last but not least my brother Shane." Elizabeth greeted them while Henry's mum already ushered into the kitchen to get her and Henry a drink. After everyone said hi, they sat down on various couches, Henry seating himself next to her with his hand on her thigh.

"Elizabeth my dear, since Henry refused to tell us how you met, I was hoping you could tell us." Patricia said while handing her a soda.

"Thank you. Well, we met at a party off campus that one of my friends hosted." Elizabeth locked eyes with Henry before continuing. "I was in kind of an argument with one of my classmate, so Henry stepped in for me." She didn't want to lie to them but neither was she willing to tell the whole truth. "And then he offered to walk me back to my dorm..." She turned to Henry. "Anything to add?" He shook his head.

While Patricia was interested in getting to know her better, the others gathered around the TV and soon started a fight about what to watch. Henry ignored them and decided to give Elizabeth a little tour of the house. He could tell that she was still a little tense and hoped some alone time with him would calm her. Henry ended the tour in his bedroom and closed the door behind them. He quickly walked up behind her and turned her around to face him.

"Let me give you a proper welcome now." He leaned in to kiss her and soon his tongue found hers. Elizabeth grazed his neck and allowed him to take full control. Running out of breath, they pulled apart and just held each other.

"Am I a better kisser than Delia?" Henry dared too ask with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Actually, that might be a tie." She joked and winked at him. They spend some time together in his room until Henry's mom called them for lunch. At lunch, Elizabeth felt like she was being interrogated. She was asked various questions by both Maureen and Patrick about her childhood, schools she visited in the past and plans for the future. Thankfully, Henry had already told them to not bring up her parents, but when Maureen asked her about her previous relationships, it felt like an invasion into her personal space. Before Elizabeth could think of an answer to avoid the question, Henry interrupted.

"Maureen, stop it!" He said it calmly but everyone could hear the warning in his voice.

"What? I'm just asking because I hope you're good with this long distance thing. You know, since Henry is deploying at the end of next year." The room fell into complete silence. "That's enough." Patricia intertwined giving her daughter a warning look. They finished lunch trying to ignore the tension in the room and decided to hang out in the garden for some time. After a while, Elizabeth excused herself to go to the bathroom and couldn't help but witness a conversation between Maureen and Patricia.

"What were you thinking Maureen? She's our guest!"

"Come on, mum. They will be over by the end of next year anyway. He's just having some fun with her now and in a couple of months she'll be gone. You know Henry, he's never had a long lasting relationship." Maureen tried to defend herself.

"I don't ever want you to hear this again. Elizabeth is the first girl that Henry brought home and I won't let you ruin that. Understand?" Maureen murmured something in response and Patricia left the room. Elizabeth was about to leave the house when she heard Shane come inside.

"What was that all about?" He asked Maureen.

"Mum's just stressing out, because of the way I treated Elizabeth at lunch. I mean, we both know he's just dating her because she's pretty and has some money. Besides, as a Catholic, he shouldn't even be in a sexual relationship with an atheist." Elizabeth couldn't listen to that anymore and went upstairs to hide in Henry's room. After a while, she heard the door crack open and Henry came in.

"There you are. I was looking for you. Are you ok?" He stood in the entrance wondering why she was up here by herself.

"Yeah, I just needed a minute." Elizabeth didn't turn around but focused on the pictures on the wall trying not to cry.

"Well, we were thinking about going for a family walk before we have to leave. Are you up for it?" Henry didn't notice her mood swing and she was glad she didn't have to explain what was going on. She put on her game face and turned around with a big smile, not letting anyone see that she was hurting.

"By the way, I'm sorry about Maureen. It was way out of place to ask you about former boyfriends so vigorously. But that's just her, she'll never change." Henry tried to explain apologetically.

"It's not your fault." They joined the others outside and they walked to the park enjoying the fresh air. Elizabeth made sure to stay away from Maureen as far away as possible without being rude. Instead, she had a nice conversation with Erin about college and with Shane about sports, impressing him with her knowledge. Coming back, Henry gathered all of his things and they said goodbye to everyone before heading out for the five hour drive. Once on the road, Elizabeth finally let herself relax again and Henry turned to her expectantly.

"So, what did you think?"

"I liked them. They were really nice." She gave him a reassuring smile not fooling Henry this time.

"But?" He knew that something was up.

"No but." She said and turned up the volume of the radio pretending she liked the song that was on. When it was over, Henry turned the volume down again and intertwined his fingers with hers.

"Babe, I know that something is bothering you."

Elizabeth sighed before responding. "Maureen might have said something about you just dating me because I'm pretty and I have money. And that we shouldn't be together because you're catholic and I'm not." They stopped at a red light and Henry leaned over to gently kiss her cheek.

"I'm sorry, babe. But you know it's not true and I love you no matter what Maureen says."

"I know, but it still bothers me." Elizabeth decided to not bring up Maureen's comment about Henry not having any long lasting relationships or dumping her once his deployment is up. They talked a while about Elizabeth's weekend with the girls, but she was too exhausted to stay awake for long. Leaning back in her seat, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the sunshine on her face while slowly falling asleep with Henry's hand grazing her thigh.

"Wake up sleepyhead. We're here." Henry woke her up when they were parked in front of his building. Elizabeth slowly blinked her eyes open and adjusted to the dim light in the car. "I wasn't sure if you wanted to go home or stay over tonight." Henry said not wanting to pressure her, but also letting her know what he wanted.

"No, sure. I'd like to stay over." She paused. "I mean, it's not like you really gave me an option, parking here right in front of your building." She smiled and grabbed her things from the back of the car. They made their way towards the entrance when Henry spotted the pizza service.

"Perfect timing." He said, while paying the guy and taking the pizza from him. Elizabeth just stood there in awe, trying to understand how he always knew what she needed.

"How do you do that?" Elizabeth asked.

"I just called on our way here and ordered your favorite." Henry replied.

"No, I mean how do you always know what I need?"

"I'm starving myself so I don't even wanna know how you're feeling." He chuckled and they went upstairs to his apartment. They immediately got settled in front of the couch watching tv while devouring the pizza.

"How long did your longest relationship last?" Elizabeth asked him out of the blue.

"What? I don't know. A couple of months maybe. Why?" He was too concentrated on the TV to realize that Elizabeth got really worked up about Maureen's comment.

"Never mind." She pretended like she didn't care, but his answer confirmed what Maureen was saying about him and relationships and made her realize that his deployment could be a pretty good reason for him to dump her. Elizabeth was too lost in thought to notice that Henry had turned the TV off and was now all over her.

 _M RATED_

"Babe, I want you so much." He kissed his way down her neck to her breasts and unbuttoned her blouse on the way. He slid his fingers inside of her bra and stimulated her nipples with his thumb. Elizabeth moaned at the sensation and kissed him feverishly. Henry slowly undressed her before picking her up and carrying her into the bedroom.

"Wow, your skin feels so smooth." He whispered making her chuckle.

"See, that's why I like to have some beauty time with my girls."

He lay her down before undressing himself and lying down on top of her. Elizabeth tried to concentrate on his touch but somehow she felt her mind drifting back to Maureen's comment. "Come on, mum. They will be over by the end of next year anyway. He's just having some fun with her now and in a couple of months she'll be gone. You know Henry, he's never had a long lasting relationship."

What if she was right and they were just for now? Once starting that chain of thoughts, she couldn't stop her mind from racing not even noticing anymore what Henry was doing. At some point, she felt him entering her but the passion she felt earlier was gone. She held on to his shoulders knowing that he was almost there and not wanting to ruin it for him. Elizabeth imagined what it would be like if that was their last time having sex, but she quickly got rid of that thought.

"Babe, are you close?" Henry moaned into her ear and kissed her neck.

"Yeah, just keep going." She bit his shoulder playfully knowing it was turning him on. After he came down from his high, he nibbled her ear before whispering.

"Baby, did you come?" He moved his hand to her clit, but she stopped him.

"Don't. I'm fine, Henry."

"But you didn't..." She interrupted him.

"I know, I guess I'm just too exhausted. Sorry." She sheepishly said.

"Nothing to be sorry about." Henry tried not to sound too disappointed, but his proud was definitely hurt.

"Do you mind if I take a shower?" Elizabeth felt the tension between them and tried to get some space.

"No, sure. Go ahead." Henry watched her as she pulled on his shirt and got out of bed to walk to the bathroom. Before she reached the door, she changed her mind turned around and walked back to him.

"I love you." Elizabeth leaned down to kiss him knowing that she unintentionally hurt his feeling by not climaxing.

"You're not too bad yourself." He smirked at her and she knew that they were fine for now.

Standing under the shower, she suddenly saw everything really clear in her mind. If Maureen was right they were over by the end of next year so she should probably have that in the back of her mind. It's not that she didn't know what his deployment would mean to them, but they never talked about it and she kinda ignored it until now. When she went back to the bedroom, Henry was already asleep and she just stood in the doorway for a couple of minutes to watch him and deciding on what to do next.


	17. Struggles

When Henry woke up the next morning, Elizabeth's side of the bed was already empty. Looking at the clock, he wondered where she was, considering that she liked to sleep as long as possible and her first class was only starting in two hours. He got out of bed to see if she was still in his apartment, but her bag was gone and she was nowhere to be found. Looking around, he found a sticky label on the kitchen counter.

"I couldn't sleep and decided I might as well go home and prepare some stuff for class. See you soon. xox Elizabeth"

Henry thought it was weird for her to just leave without waking him up and after last night he could tell that something was off. He decided to call her later or catch her on campus and make sure she was alright but first he had to get ready for his first class.

Elizabeth knew she shouldn't have left Henry's place without talking to him after last night but she was tossing and turning all night with his deployment spooking around in her head. The more she thought about it, the more stupid she felt considering that she didn't even know if they would still be together in one year. Nevertheless, she felt the need to distance herself from him for a bit just to clear her mind and live as an independent again like she used to. Getting back to her dorm, she started by unpacking her things and doing laundry. While she waited for the laundry machine to finish, Elizabeth changed into her sports clothes and and went for a run in the fresh morning air which helped to get everything out of her head and just focus on her running. Getting back to her dorm, she grabbed all of her things for the day and went to the cafeteria to have some breakfast where she bumped into Nathalie. They talked for a bit, but both of them could feel the unspoken words between them and Nathalie knew who's side Elizabeth was on. When it was time for her first class, she excused herself from the table and made her way to class where Delia was already waiting for her.

"Hey gorgeous! How did you like your new in-laws?" Delia joked around not knowing that Elizabeth had mixed feelings when it came to them.

"Very funny. It was fine." She said while giving her a hug.

"Fine? Meaning it was horrible?" Delia knew immediately that something was up.

"No, meaning they were nice but his sister hates me." Elizabeth decided to go with the truth. "And she was pretty sure that Henry is going to dump me soon which apparently he did with his previous girlfriends."

"Oh honey, don't listen to that crab. You know how much he loves you." Delia knew that Elizabeth got really insecure when it came to relationships.

"I know, it's silly. I don't know why I got so freaked out."

"Because you love him and you're afraid he's gonna break your heart. It's ok to freak out, don't worry." They walked into class together and for once Elizabeth was able to concentrate on something else than Henry. Afterwards she had two hours until her next class and decided to head to the library to get some work done she was supposed to do this weekend. Apparently, she wasn't the only one with that idea but she managed to find a quiet spot for herself. Elizabeth got completely lost in her work until she suddenly heard a very familiar voice that caught her attention.

"Hi man! How are you doing? I haven't seen you in a while." Elizabeth slowly turned around and saw Andy at the other end of the room talking to Henry who had his back turned to her. Elizabeth quickly turned around and immediately felt guilty for acting like a child. She really liked Andy, but at the moment she didn't want to talk to him nor Henry. She collected her things and discreetly made her way to the exit. Elizabeth kept telling herself that she wasn't hiding from her boyfriend but she couldn't even believe herself. It was wrong to keep him in the dark about her feelings but she was too scared to let him in and hear what he had to said. Looking at her watch, she saw that it was time to go to her next class anyway.

After his first class, Henry decided to look for Elizabeth knowing that she had some time off during her classes. He didn't see her in the cafeteria so he tried to find her in the library, but the place was pretty crowded. Turning around, Henry suddenly bumped into his friend Andy. They haven't seen each other in a while and it took them some time to catch up. While they were talking, Henry thought he saw Elizabeth walking through the library but when he stepped around the bookshelf to call her, he couldn't see her anywhere. He shrugged his shoulders thinking that it must have been somebody else.

Later that night, Henry still hadn't find her on campus and just went for his second option which meant calling her. He dialed her number and waited for her to pick up, but there was no reaction on the other end of the line and he hung up. Suddenly, it occurred to him that maybe Elizabeth avoided him on purpose. It wasn't unusual for them to not see each other around on campus, but she always used to pick up her phone at night expecting him to call before going to bed. He thought back to last night and remembered that she was acting weird and couldn't relax while they had sex but he simply believed her when she said that she was exhausted. With that thougt, Henry started to freak out thinking about Josh and Delia who broke up because of bad sex. Considering that Delia was Elizabeth's best friend, the thought of her staying away from him made total sense to him now. Henry picked up his phone and tried to call her again, but she still didn't respond. He finally decided on texting her to call him as soon as possible. For a minute, Henry considered driving over to her dorm right now, but then he felt silly and didn't wanna appear as a control freak.

At the same time, Elizabeth was getting ready for bed in her dorm battling with herself weather she should check her phone or not. She had purposely not taken it out of her bag since her last class thinking that Henry would probably call sooner or later, so she decided she was better off without knowing if he had called or not. In the end, Elizabeth decided to leave it where it was and went to sleep without checking.

At noon the next day, Henry felt himself getting really upset with Elizabeth. How could she just ignore him like this after he invited her to meet his parents? He knew that she always went for a run on Wednesdays after her last class so he made up his mind to confront her at her dorm when she would be getting back.

Like every Wednesday, Elizabeth went for a run in the park freeing herself from all the stress of the day. Classes had been extremely busy today and she was exhausted by the amount of work she had to do. She was so occupied with other things that she didn't think about Henry all day until she came back from her run and saw him standing in front of her dorm.

"Hey babe, what are you doing here?" She asked him in surprise.

"Don't babe me." Henry answered upset.

" Ok..." Elizabeth didn't really knew what was going on and why he was mad at her but she was willing to find out.

"Why are you ignoring me?" He just went straight to the point.

"Henry, I'm not ignoring you." Elizabeth tried to calm him.

" No? What would you call it then? You left in the middle of the night on Monday, I'm pretty sure you were hiding from me yesterday and you didn't answer any of my calls. What's going on?" His voice sounded more desperate than upset by now and Elizabeth felt sorry for her behavior.

"I'm not ignoring you, I swear. I might have tried to avoid you and I haven't checked my phone since yesterday morning, but I..." Before she could finish, Henry interrupted.

"Is it because of the sex? I'm sorry I didn't make you come, but I swear I'll make it up to you..."

"Henry, stop." She looked around seeing if anyone was listening before pulling him into her room. " Oh my gosh, can we please not talk about our sex life in common places like the hallway!"

"I'm sorry, I..."

"No let me talk. Of course I'm not avoiding you because of that. It wasn't your fault I couldn't relax and I'm sorry if I made you feel any less because of that. And yes, I might have avoided you but only because I needed some time for myself." She sat down in her bed and tried to find the right words. "Meeting your family woke that little worry inside of me where I started to think about our future and where we might be in one or two years. And then it occurred to me that we might not have a future together." She looked up at him waiting for his reaction.

"What are you talking about?" Henry couldn't understand where this was coming from.

"I'm talking about your deployment, Henry. The one that we never talk about?" Elizabeth felt herself getting upset, but she didn't wanna cry and tried to hold herself together.

"Oh baby, is this because of what Maureen said at lunch? I promise you we're gonna make it work and we will get through it." He stepped closer to embrace her, but Elizabeth hold out her hand to stop him.

"Are we? How can you be so sure you're not gonna dump me like your ex-girlfriends?" She pointed at him with an accusing tone.

"That's really not fair. I only broke up with Jane after two months, because we both didn't feel it and Kate cheated on me so I hardly dumped any of them. And how would you know, it's not like we ever talked about that!" He baked away from her trying to stay calm.

"I'm sorry. I just heard Maureen say something to your mum and I kinda freaked out..." Elizabeth tried to apologize.

"Wait, this is why you've been acting so weird? Because of something that Maureen said?" Henry had to clarify what was going on.

"I guess..." Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh babe, why didn't you tell me immediately? I thought you were mad at me because of Monday night and I got totally worked up because of what happened to Delia and Josh..."

"I'm sorry but I was scared and felt so silly at the same time." She tried to explain herself without sounding stupid.

"It's ok. Come here." Henry held out his arms and she gladly accepted the embrace burying her head in the crock of his neck. "You're right, we should have talked about my deployment instead of ignoring it all the time."

"I'm sorry about avoiding you, but we're ok now, right?" Elizabeth looked up at him with her deep blue eyes.

"Yeah, we're ok. We just need to talk through it instead of leaving each other guessing." They just stood there for a minute holding each other before Elizabeth managed to bring out. "Did you really think I was gonna leave you, because I didn't have an orgasm?"

"No, of course not. I was just... I mean, I didn't know what was going on..." Henry saw the smirk on Elizabeth's face and knew she was only messing with him.

"I love you, Henry McCord. And I'm sorry I freaked out about nothing."

"I love you even more. Although I have to admit, I don't like it when you do stuff like that." He pressed a soft kiss to her lips and then kissed his way down her neck.

"Henry, stop." Elizabeth giggled. "I'm all sweaty, it's gross."

"I should keep going anyways. You probably have some stuff to do."

"No, wait. Why don't we go out have dinner together and talk about all of this?" Elizabeth proposed hoping that they could finally talk about his deployment.

" Ok, sure. If you want to."

"I do. Let me just shower quickly and then we can go." She grabbed her stuff and left the room to go to the common bathrooms and returned ten minutes later only wrapped in a towel. Even though she looked incredibly sexy, Henry decided to give his girlfriend some privacy to get ready and stepped outside to wait in the hallway for her. Elizabeth quickly put on some jeans combined with a loose blouse and applied some moisturizer. Her hair was still wet from the shower, but nothing the fresh air outside wouldn't fix. She grabbed her purse and stepped outside where Henry was waiting for her. They walked hand in hand to a Chinese restaurant close by with Henry starting the conversation.

"So Maureen said something about me dumping you?" Henry tried to get into it.

"Well, she mentioned that you never had a serious relationship and that I wouldn't be around for long because of your deployment next year." Elizabeth clarified.

"I'm sorry she said that, but you shouldn't have believed her. I know we never talk about my deployment but that's only because I wanna enjoy my time with you here and now without worrying about the future. But just so you know, I'll do everything in my power to work this out. Me going away doesn't mean that we are over, ok? I would never break up with you because of that." Henry underlined his last statement by giving her hand a squeeze.

"Ok, I guess the thought of you leaving me behind terrified me." Elizabeth honestly admitted.

"I know and I completely understand that, but I wish you would have talked to me instead of shutting me out." Elizabeth nodded and snuggled closer to him. Once they arrived at the restaurant, they both felt better and could give in to their starving stomachs. During dinner, Elizabeth remembered what Henry had said about his previous relationships.

"So you only had two girlfriends before me?" She cautiously looked at him hoping she didn't cross a line.

"Well, two that were more than just holding hands and making out behind the gym." He sarcastically responded and Elizabeth chuckled. "Do you want to know more?" He asked.

"If you don't mind..." She gave him a curious smile and he began.

"Well, Jane was my girlfriend in high school and also the one I lost my virginity to, but somehow we lost interest in each other so we broke up after a couple of months. And then there was Kate. We dated all through my freshman year until I found out that she had cheated on me with a guy she met at a party. And that was it. Afterwards, I wasn't really looking for anything serious anymore until the day I met you." He grinned at her and she took his hand in hers.

"I'm sorry I doubted you." She apologized feeling guilty for accusing him earlier.

"I'm willing to forgive you in exchange for a kiss." Elizabeth laughed and leaned over to give him a big smooch. They finished their dinner and walked back to Elizabeth's dorm.

"Do you wanna stay here tonight? Becky is sleeping at a friend's place tonight and I don't have class tomorrow morning, so we can sleep in." She fiddled with his collar and gave him an irresistible smile.

"Actually, I wanted to go to the gym tomorrow morning." Henry teased.

"How about you have your workout right here in bed with me?" Elizabeth seductively said.

"That sounds tempting..." Elizabeth threw herself around his neck and started kissing him while he locked the door and tried to maneuver them to her bed. From that moment, he knew they were gonna be okay.


	18. Time jumps and fun times

A/N: I have to admit, I usually hate time jumps and this chapter is a mess, but I just wanted to get it over with because I just had a nice idea fur the next one.

Elizabeth and Henry continued seeing each other as much as possible over the next four months. On a Saturday morning, Elizabeth woke up in Henry's bed after they had celebrated her birthday the day before. Henry obeyed his girlfriend's wish and didn't plan anything too expensive or fancy. Instead he prepared a wonderful picnic for her at their favorite spot in the park. Additionally, he surprised her by giving her the most beautiful necklace she's ever seen and it must have cost a fortune, but he refused to talk about it. Afterwards, they continued the little celebration privately in his bedroom where she woke up lying in his arms now. She watched Henry sleeping and it was the cutest sight she's ever seen. Usually, he was up before her so she rarely got the chance to just stare at him without him noticing. She was glad that they had kept her birthday low key and just between the two of them, because she hated to be the center of attention. When she felt Henry stirring, she peppered little kisses all over his face until he blinked his eyes open.

"Good morning, babe." Elizabeth said in between kisses.

" Good morning, sweetheart." Elizabeth groaned before answering.

"Come on, Henry. You know how much I hate the term sweetheart."

"I know, but I like it. And it's true. You're sweet and you're all heart. And you have all of mine. Times infinity." Henry earnestly told her making her heart flutter.

"I love you." She simply responded and they shared an intimate kiss.

"I almost forgot. I have another present for you."

"You do?" Elizabeth looked at him in surprise while he bend over to open the drawer next to his bed. He took something out and hid it in his hand.

"Let me explain this first. The last couple of months with you have been the happiest of my life. And as much as I love your dorm, I love having you here even more." He opened his hand and held out a key for her. "I'm not asking you to move in with me, because I feel like that would be too early and I don't wanna ruin what we have but I'd love for you to come over whenever you like. I mean, you don't have to, but I want you to be able to let yourself in even if it's just to wait for me when I'm late again." He remembered the last time he was twenty minutes late for their date and she was sitting on the stairs in front of his door when he came home.

"Henry..." Elizabeth chocked out with tears in her eyes. "This means so much to me, you have no idea." Henry's heart melted at the sight of her being so emotional.

"You know, you could also see it as the key to my heart because you've definitely earned that." He joked around making her chuckle.

"You're such a dork." Elizabeth said and leaned over to kiss him again. "And still I love you."

"Copy that." He rolled them so he was on top of her and pulled the sheets over their heads. Their naked bodies joined under the blanket and Elizabeth knew that this was a milestone in their relationship. It didn't seem like a big deal, but she knew it was a test run for them to see if they could really live together. They spend most of the day in bed making love to each other until Elizabeth announced that she had to head back to her dorm to get ready for Jodie's engagement party. She and her fiance had been dating for eight months and unexpectedly decided to get married. When Elizabeth heard about it, she was in shock knowing that their relationship was a little troubled but as she later found out that they decided to get married because of Jodie's accidental pregnancy. Even though Elizabeth thought they were making a big mistake, she decided to be a supportive friend. The wedding was only a couple of weeks away and she had asked Henry to be her plus one.

Later that week, Elizabeth used the key Henry gave her for the first time to let herself into his apartment. He was not there yet, so she decided to use the time and finish one of her papers. When Henry came home an hour later, he was positively surprised to see his girlfriend sitting on his kitchen table and doing some paperwork. She looked up when he entered and stood up to greet him.

"Hi honey, I just used the key for the first time!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"I know, I can see that." He pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Do you want dinner?"

"Sure, that's actually the only reason I came over." She winked at him letting him know that she was joking. "How was your day?"

"The usual." He paused for a second before continuing. "Actually, there's something we need to talk about." From his tone, Elizabeth could sense that it was serious.

"I'm listening."

"Yesterday, I got a letter from the Marine corps. They are sending me to West Virginia for a training session. I have to leave in four weeks and I'll be up there for a week." Henry told her. They both knew that his scholarships had certain conditions so it was not new to them that he had to leave from time to time.

" Ok, it'll be a long week but I'll survive." Elizabeth smirked but suddenly it faded. "Oh no, does that mean you're gonna miss Jodie's wedding?"

"Don't worry, I already checked. I'll be back the day before her wedding."

Thank God. I wouldn't have gone there by my own."

Four weeks later, Elizabeth sat on Henry's bed and watched him pack his stuff. She didn't have much time because one of her classes had been moved to 7pm and it was already six o'clock.

"I better keep going. Class is going to start soon."

"You're right. Do you want me to drive you?"

"No, you're busy. It's fine."

"I'll miss you, Elizabeth." He gently caressed her cheek.

"I'll miss you even more. But it's only a week. It'll fly by."

"You know, you can come over here whenever you want, right? It's your place too now."

"Ok." They locked eyes and Henry slowly leaned down to kiss her passionately. Afterwards, Elizabeth left and Henry already started to miss her. It was going to be a long week for both of them.

 _This is pure smut, RATED M! I previously uploaded this story with the title Afterparty, knowing that I wanted it to be in this story at some point. I feel like the time has come, so here we go. Again, it's not a new story, some of you might have read it already._

A couple of days later, Elizabeth sipped on her drink feeling the tequila warming her body. She and the girls were sitting around a table in the middle of the club watching the male strippers take off their clothes and cheering them on in the process. It had been a fun bachelorette party so far, but she couldn't help herself but wish that Henry was sitting there taking off his clothes for her. She hadn't seen him in a week, because he had just returned from a training session preparing for his deployment next year and she missed him like crazy. But she simply couldn't miss her friend's bachelorette party, so Elizabeth told Henry she would come over the next day. The pretty blonde was watching one of the strippers in the back and she couldn't help but think that he looked a bit like Henry. God, that thought alone already turned her on. She hadn't had sex with her boyfriend in 10 days and that was far too long from her point of view. Elizabeth felt little butterflies in her stomach only thinking about it and she was getting more excited as time passed. Looking at her watch, she quickly made a decision. She said goodbye to her friends and took a taxi to Henry's place. Arriving at his apartment, she opened the door using the key he gave her only a couple weeks ago. Entering his apartment, she needed a minute to adjust to the darkness but once she did, she made her way to the bedroom.

Henry looked up from his book when he saw a movement in his doorway. He was surprised to see his girlfriend enter, only expecting her the next day to go to Jodie's wedding with her.

"Elizabeth, baby, what are you doing here?" Henry jumped out of bed with a huge smile on his face and made his way towards her.

"I missed you. I couldn't stay away from you and your gorgeous body any longer." She put her hands around his neck and pulled him in for a searing kiss. At first, they started slowly, their tongues getting to know each other again. But it quickly got heated and they were moaning into each other's mouths. Henry's hands roaming her body and pulling her tighter into his embrace. Pulling away for air, Henry ran his right hand through her hair. "You look stunning. Did you have fun with the girls?" He looked into her deep blue eyes feeling happier than ever to be back in Virginia.

"Yeah, I did. But I missed you way too much to stay away any longer. I was so turned on by the imagination of having your big cock buried inside of me. Henry, I need you so badly." Henry liked where this was going and he already felt himself hardening listening to her dirty talk. He quickly pulled her back into his arms and kissed her hard. He simply couldn't resist her needs and wanted to please her in any way possible. While kissing her, Henry started to pull down the zipper of her dress sending shivers down her spine. Elizabeth pushed her boyfriend onto the bed and made sure to take off her dress seductively, leaving her in red lace underwear. Henry couldn't take his eyes away from her stunning body. She looked sexy as hell in the red underwear; her mischievous smile giving him the rest. She walked to the bed and straddled him giving him the chance to bury his head in her cleavage. He took in her scent and started to kiss his way up her jawicle and nuzzle her neck. Meanwhile, Elizabeth opened the buttons of his shirt and pulled it down his muscular arms. She roamed her hands over his chest and playfully bit him in his earlobe while grazing her hand over the now visible bulge in his pants. Henry took her hand in his and rolled them, so that Elizabeth was lying on her back while Henry hold himself above her. She pulled him closer opening the zipper of his pants in the progress to give him more space. Henry stared down at her for a moment before continuing to cherish her body. "You're so beautiful, babe. I can't get enough of you."

Elizabeth coyly smiled at him. "Show me."

He pulled her upper body slightly up to open her bra throwing it across the room. He gave her a seductive grin before he cupped her right breast while licking her left nibble. Elizabeth couldn't stop moaning while Henry continued to give her breasts a firm massage. Moving down, he softly kissed her belly before pulling down her panties. Henry rested between her thighs hearing Elizabeth panting, waiting anxiously for him to continue. He slowly moved closer to her wetness and Elizabeth couldn't stop her hips from bucking towards Henry's mouth. He slowly licked her from her opening to her clit before passing a soft kiss to her clit and sucking it. He could hear Elizabeth moan, her hands gripping the bedsheets tightly. She tugged on his hair, wanting him to come to her face. "Baby, I want you inside of me. I want you to fuck me with your hard big dick." She pushed down his boxers and jeans in one swift movement before wrapping his hand around his length and pumping him. Henry groaned bucking into her hand. Slowly releasing his hard member, she rolled on her stomach with Henry pressing against her back. He immediately massaged her cheeks while leaning down and sucking her sensitive spot behind her ear. Elizabeth tiled her head to give him better access, while slightly arching her back to press her firm ass against Henry's length. Henry moaned and gave her bottom a playful swat.

"Fuck me, baby."

Henry slammed into her with all he had making Elizabeth cry out, both from pain and lust. He set a fast pace thrusting in and out, burying his length inside of her. His movements were erratic making the bed squeak. Elizabeth cried out every time he slammed into her feeling the sweat of their bodies mixing together. He took her fast and unapologetic, exactly what she had asked for. He managed to sneak his hand between her flat stomach and the sheets helping to arch her hips closer to his hard member. She could feel him buried even deeper now, his balls slamming against her every time he penetrated her. Elizabeth's cries were getting louder each time and she started herself getting closer to the edge. Henry was heavily panting above her trying to hold back to let her come first. She felt herself contacting around him knowing she was almost there.

"Harder, baby, harder!"

Henry thrusted into her even more forcefully and pressed his hand to her center. That's all Elizabeth needed. She felt herself trembling, her entire body jolted and she fell over the edge. "Yes, that's it's Henry ... God!" She couldn't stop screaming as he kept ramming into her, nearing his own climax. After a few more trusts, he climaxed as well, spilling his seams into her. He groaned loudly and finally collapsed on top of her, still buried deep inside. Elizabeth was still contracting around him and they groaned in unison when Henry pulled out of her, the juice of their lovemaking dripping down Elizabeth's thighs. He quickly rolled off of her and pulled her into his side. She linked her legs with his and rested her head in the crook of his neck. Henry turned his head towards her kissing her forehead.

"I've missed you so much, Elizabeth. I love you".

"I love you too, babe."

The next morning, Elizabeth woke up to Henry's dick poking her in the back. She felt his lips softly kissing her neck and she couldn't help from grinning. She turned around to face him, slowly opening her eyes in the progress. She locked eyes with him before he moved to give her a searing kiss on her lips.

"Good morning, babe. Did you sleep ok?" Henry spoke with his deep voice against her lips leaving her body tingling.

"I did. Best sleep I had in the past two weeks." She gave him a coy look while cupping his cheek in her hand. "But it looks like somebody is not completely satisfied yet." Elizabeth bit her lip and moved to pump his member in her hand. Henry groaned and pushed her hand away.

"Let me be inside of you, baby." Henry spread her thighs apart trying to rest between them. But before he could continue going further, Elizabeth stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her with a confused look on his face.

"Henry, I'm all sore from last night. You wore me out." He had a worried look on his face. "I'm so sorry, babe. Did I hurt you?"

"Of course not. You couldn't even hurt me if you wanted to! Don't apologize for giving me an amazing night. I'm just a bit sore, that's all." She fingered his chest hair and looked deep into his eyes.

"Well, I'll say it was an amazing night. I'd say that was the roughest sex we ever had." He chuckled only thinking about it. Suddenly, Elizabeth surprised him by flipping them over and straddling him. Leaning down she whispered into his ear before playfully biting it. " I'll give you an even more amazing morning." She kissed her way downwards until she reached his hardened member. At first, she pressed little kisses alongside his length before sucking his tip. Henry hissed and reached down to hold Elizabeth's hair out of her way. She continued to suck and lick his tip before finally taking him in completely. Sliding down his length, Henry cried out overwhelmed by the feeling of her hot mouth around him. Elizabeth wanted him to last longer, so she sucked him one final time before popping him out of her mouth. She then reached down to massage the base of his length giving him a mischievous grin. She couldn't get enough of looking at her boyfriend lying naked in front of her, grabbing the sheets and panting. He reached up to cup her breasts and to graze her nipples.

"Elizabeth, you feel so good. Don't stop, baby."

"Honey, I'm only getting started." She winked at him before leaning down again and taking his balls in her mouth. She sucked and licked everywhere until she felt his precum running down his length. Henry couldn't stop from groaning and bucking his hips towards her mouth. Elizabeth was proud of the effect she had on him and she took a few seconds to just watch him and run her hands up and down his abs.

"Henry, you're so beautiful. I want you to come for me." She went down to take his length in her mouth again. Taking him in as far as she could, she felt him tensing up, knowing he wasn't far away from climaxing now. She slid his length up and down a few more times before licking his underhead which was driving him crazy. Henry groaned loudly and grabbed her hair, trying to control himself. Finally, Elizabeth swirled her tongue around his head and he couldn't hold it anymore. Elizabeth took him in again and Henry cried out, spilling his cum into her mouth. She milked him through his orgasm, increasing the pleasure for him. When Henry returned from his high, he smiled and pulled his girlfriend up to him. He kissed her deeply tasting himself on her tongue. They smiled at each other before Henry embraced her closely; caressing her cheek while his other hand ran up and down her back. "Elizabeth, that was so amazing. The best morning I ever had. Thank you so much, you have no idea how much I needed that." He pressed a soft kiss on her cheek still not wanting to let go of her.

"Anything for you baby. You know how much I love pleasuring you." They lay there for a couple more minutes, bathing in his afterglow and their love before Elizabeth decided it was time to take a shower.

"Come on, let's take a shower. We stink like sex!"

"And what's wrong about that?" Henry gave her a playful wink before swatting her bare butt and following her into the shower.

"Nothing, but I wanna look nice at Jodie's wedding."


	19. Wedding bells

After they showered, Elizabeth put on some fresh clothes that she kept in one of the dressers that Henry had emptied for her stuff. Over the past few weeks, Elizabeth stayed over during weekends and also once or twice during week days, so moving in some of her stuff only seemed logic to them. Henry made them breakfast while Elizabeth searched through the shoe drawer trying to find her favorite black high heels she wanted to wear later.

"Found them!" She triumphantly hold them up when she walked into the kitchen.

"Great! Now sit down and have some breakfast. How are you feeling by the way?" Henry worriedly examined her knowing that she had been drinking quite a lot last night.

"I'm good. A little headache, but nothing that coffee can't fix." She took a look at her watch. "We better hurry up, I promised Delia I'll be there at eleven." Jodie had asked Delia and Elizabeth to help with preparations before the ceremony so they decided to drive up there together while Henry was going to get there later. Elizabeth quickly downed her breakfast before Henry dropped her off at Delia's place.

"Bye, honey. I'll see you later. Thanks for last night." Elizabeth leaned over and pecked him on the lips and gave him a devious grin.

"See you. Don't start drinking before I get there!" Henry coyly smirked at her and she sighed in designation.

"You better hurry up then." Henry drove off and Elizabeth walked inside. Delia had been drinking much more than Elizabeth last night and she looked horrible.

"What happened to you?" Elizabeth asked in amusement.

"Very funny, Miss Adams. Male stripper happened to me." She turned around to grab some things for Elizabeth. "Ok, so here's your dress, I have mine and the make-up is already in the car. Do we need something else?" Delia looked around trying to remember if she forgot something.

"No, I think we're good. If we forgot something I'll just give Henry a call." Elizabeth pushed the door open with her elbow and started to load the car. When they were done, they finally drove up to the Butterfly-inn where the wedding was going to take place. Jodie was already there and extremely nervous but the girls quickly managed to calm her and took things into their own matters. After what seemed like hours of work, they were finally done and started prepping themselves. Delia did both of their hairs while Elizabeth worked some magic with concealer and foundation to make Delia look presentable. After two hours, they were finally done and ready to attend the ceremony. They checked on Jodie one last time, but her mum was already there with her as well as her bridesmaid so they went to mingle with the guests. Henry immediately noticed the young women walking down the stairs and he couldn't take his eyes away from his girlfriend. She looked absolutely stunning in the dark blue dress that accentuated her slim figure. Henry walked towards her and she stopped at the last step so they were standing face to face, her high heels making her look taller than she was.

"Elizabeth, you look absolutely beautiful." He told her, his glance being even more intensive than usually.

"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself." She fiddled with his neck collar and took in his body in a tuxedo in appreciation. Henry leaned forward to kiss her lightly before Delia interrupted them.

"You guys, this is all very cute but don't forget that I'm without a date at a wedding. My day couldn't be more sad right now, so please keep your public display of affection on a low level." Delia instructed them sarcastically making both of them chuckle.

"Sorry. By the way, did I tell you how stunning you look today?" Henry tried to make up for good measurements but Delia didn't buy it.

"Well, thanks Henry. That is so nice of you to say even though we both know I look how I feel which is extremely hungover. If you excuse me, I'll try to find some coffee." Delia left giving the two of them some privacy.

"Do you want something to drink?" Henry offered.

"I'd love to. It has been so busy the whole afternoon I barely had time to relax."

"You sit down for a minute and I'll get you something." He walked off once again being the gentleman he was. When he returned they sat down in a secluded corner of the room giving them some privacy to talk.

"So how was your week? We've barely talked since you came back."

"I'd say we had better things to do than talking." He smirked and a grin formed on Elizabeth's face. "But my week hasn't been too bad. I missed you like crazy, but the training was actually pretty good. It made me feel more prepared but also made me realize that I definitely have to do some more training. I kinda lost focus in that since the beginning of the year and I could really feel it."

"I'm sorry about that. I feel like that's my fault because now you're spending so much time with me instead of hitting the gym. But you know what, we could work out together. Go running together or I'll take my bike and you could do some sprints... What? Why are you looking at me like this?" Confusion was written all over her face with Henry starring at her like that. He took her hand and began talking.

"This weekend also made me realize that my deployment will be coming whether we want it or not."

"I know."

"We love each other and we love spending time together, so we should use every minute we have to be together, right?"

"Henry, what are you talking about?"

"I want you to move in with me." Henry could read the surprise in Elizabeth's eyes so he continued. "I know, I know, a couple of weeks ago I was all in for doing this slowly and one step at a time, but we don't have all this time that other couples have." Elizabeth tried to say something but Henry kept talking. "I mean, if it doesn't work out, we can just go back to where we are right now and..."

"Henry, can you please shut up. I'm trying to tell you something."

"Okay..."

"I'd love to move in with you. I mean, I can't promise you that I'm going to be the roommate you've always wanted but I'll try to keep my mess on a bare minimum. But I have a condition."

"Whatever you want."

"Don't expect me to cook or to get up with you when you go for your morning runs."

"I won't, I promise." A huge smile formed on his face and he leaned over to kiss her deeply. "Thank you."

"No, don't thank me yet. Believe me, once we live together I won't be able to hide my flaws anymore."

"Such as?"

"You'll see." He chuckled and they spend some more time in the secluded corner, before everyone was asked to take their seats for the wedding. The ceremony itself was simple but she enjoyed having Henry sitting next to her with their fingers linked together.

Later on, it was finally time for dinner and Elizabeth couldn't be more thankful. They loaded their plates and sat down at the table to devour their food.

"By the way, I didn't get to ask you earlier. How was your week?" Henry said in between.

"It was pretty nice. Delia and I had a long horror movie night and then the next morning we overslept and decided to head to the park instead of class."

"Are you serious? I'm gone for as couple of days and that's what happens?" He joked knowing that she usually didn't skip class.

"Oh and then the other day, I saw John in the library with his girlfriend and she was pretty upset with him. She yelled at him and even slapped him before waking off. It was pretty intense and everyone was watching. I felt bad for him."

"You shouldn't." Henry simply acknowledged remembering the night they had met.

After dinner, Elizabeth made her way through the crowds to say hi to everyone she knew. She was still a freshman, but she's gotten to know so many people at UVA that it seemed like she had been there forever. Henry knew that she knew most of them because of the dorm community they had and he wasn't part of, but also because she was so easygoing with everyone. While Delia was very popular as well, she always had a reputation for being a diva thanks to Josh spreading rumours. Elizabeth on the other hand was known as the cool chick that you wanted to be friends with. Henry also had some friends, but compared to the amount of people that she hung out with, he was more an introvert who liked to have some privacy from time to time. After some time, it was time for the bride's and groom's first dance and out of nowhere Elizabeth appeared back at his side after being gone for an hour.

"Sorry, I've been gone so long but the groom insisted on going outside to smoke some weed. Do you want some?"

"No, I'm good. I'm happy enough to have you here by my side. I don't need drugs to make me feel any different." He kissed her forehead and she snuggled into him.

"Do you want to dance with me?" Henry asked and held out his hand for her. Elizabeth gladly accepted and he directed them to the middle of the dance floor. When they played a slow song, Elizabeth hold on to him tightly and Henry pulled her in closer. She rested her head on his shoulder and he nuzzled her hair while gently stroking her back.

"This is perfect." Elizabeth whispered into his ear.

"You're perfect." Henry coyly responded earning a little kiss from Elizabeth. They continued swaying to the rhythm of the music for a a while feeling their bodies pressed together.

"Henry, promise me we'll never be like this."

"Like what?" He turned his face to look at her.

"Getting married just because of a pregnancy. It's wrong and it's probably not gonna work out anyway."

"Technically, I wouldn't say it's wrong. I mean, he's taking responsibility and they do what they think is best for the child and for them." Elizabeth frowned at his comment.

"Well, if they end up with a divorce it's not exactly child friendly. And they are only doing all of this because they are afraid of their reputation. Jodie's family is strictly catholic, they can't afford a scandal like this." Elizabeth felt like he didn't get her point.

"Mine is catholic too." Henry pointed out.

"So you're saying you'd just marry me if I ended up pregnant?" Elizabeth couldn't believe him.

"No, I'm saying that I would marry you because I love you. Pregnant or not, it doesn't matter." That made Elizabeth think for a while.

"Did you just say that you want to marry me?" She wasn't sure what to get out of this.

" Well, I could imagine myself getting married to you someday in the future. That's all I'm saying." Henry timidly said not knowing what she wanted him to say. Elizabeth didn't respond at first and he thought he'd said something wrong.

"You're right. We wouldn't be like them, because we truly love each other and that's why we would get married, baby or not." She smiled at him.

"Even so, that's all hypothetically. I mean, you're still on the pill, right? And we're being careful." Henry stated matter of factly.

"You're right." Elizabeth said but didn't sound very convincing. Henry decided to change the subject anyways feeling her getting tense.

" So the end of this semester is coming up soon, so I was thinking that we could move in together after we've finished our exams and then we can start truly living together after Christmas. What do you think?" Henry excitedly asked showing her again how much he wanted this.

"That sounds great, although I don't have any plans for Christmas yet. I'll probably stay on campus..." She said quietly.

"No way, babe. Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to come to Pittsburgh with me." He warmly looked at her.

"I don't know if that's a good idea. I mean it's your family time and I don't want to interrupt that."

"Babe, come on. You're part of my family now and I want nothing more than to have you there. Please, just for me." Henry begged her.

"Okay..." Elizabeth grinned at him and he leaned down to kiss her passionately. They stayed at the wedding for a couple more hours until Elizabeth felt herself getting tired not having had enough sleep the night before. They decided it was time for them to leave and they drove back to Henry's apartment with Elizabeth falling asleep in the car. Once he parked the car, he tried to wake her up but she was out like a light. He finally decided to just carry her up to his apartment. While he was walking up the stairs, Elizabeth stirred for a minute pulling herself closer to him before falling back to sleep. Once again Henry admired how easily she fell asleep no matter where she was. Upon entering his apartment, he lay her down in bed and started to undress her. It would have felt wrong in the early stages of their relationship but by now, they were used to each other's bodies and undressing each other. He gently got her out of her dress and pulled one of his shirts down over her head. Elizabeth murmured something but didn't open her eyes making him chuckle. When he was done, he covered her with the blanket and kissed her forehead before leaving the bedroom to get himself ready for bed in the bathroom. Before he went to join Elizabeth in bed, he decided to let his mum know that they had decided to move in together and come for a visit on Christmas. Right now, he couldn't be happier about his life.


	20. Little scares

Even though Elizabeth already knew what was going on, she still felt the urge to check her calendar to be hundred percent sure.

"Shit!" She shouted out making Becky flinch. "Sorry." She immediately apologized before leaving the room. She needed some space to think and figure out if it was possible. Trying not to freak out she headed to the park deep in thought and went over the last couple of weeks and every single occasion they had done it. "Oh no!" Elizabeth suddenly remembered that one time and covered her face with her hands in order to stay calm. Last night at the wedding, Henry totally caught her off guard when they talked about it but only then did she really try to remember and came up with nothing. Deep in thought, she didn't even realize where she was going until she found herself in front of Henry's apartment. Looking up she wondered if she should talk to him, but then she decided against it and turned around to walk back to her dorm. She would check first thing tomorrow morning, no reason to worry him now. Suddenly she bumped into someone and without looking up she apologized and wanted to keep walking, but she was held back.

"Elizabeth, hey, I didn't expect you tonight. This morning you mentioned something about a dorm get together." Elizabeth finally focused on who was standing in front of her and looked straight into Henry's handsome face.

"Hey, uhm, no. I was just walking by. I... I just needed some fresh air." She tried to hide how nervous she was but felt herself failing miserably.

"Are you okay?" Henry could see that she felt uncomfortable the way she was shifting her weight from side to side and playing with her clothes.

"Yeah. I'm good. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" She tried to get past him, but instead of letting her go away he held his arms out and pulled her into a hug.

"Babe, what's going on?" Elizabeth didn't respond but only stood there holding on to him. Henry could feel her cold hand on his skin, she only wore a sweater in the fresh winter air and shivered. "Come on, let's get you inside. You're freezing." He clung to her hand and pulled her up the stairs. Once the door closed behind them he got a blanket from the couch and wrapped it around her. He wondered what she was doing out without a jacket and why she didn't hang out with her friends. She usually loved their nights together they had at least once a month. After she didn't say anything for a couple of minutes, he tried again.

"Elizabeth, what happened?" Henry didn't understand why she was so on edge. When she left this morning, she was relaxed and in a good mood. She finally looked up to meet his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Henry, I'm late." She paused before continuing. "I mean, it's not unusual for me to be late but I'm so overdue." She waited for him to say something but he clearly had no idea what she was talking about making her sigh. "Henry, I didn't have my period for more than seven weeks. That's way out of my usual cycle." Finally, he got what she was talking about.

"Oh." He said and she waited. " Oh, you mean, you're pregnant?" He was completely caught off guard.

"I don't know. I think I might be." This time she didn't even try to hide the scare in her voice.

"But you're on the pill." Henry desperately argued.

"See, that's what I thought. But then I went over all occasions we had sex in the past couple of weeks and then I remembered that one time in the park. We were both super tipsy and didn't use a condom, but I think I was off the pill that week because of my cycle, remember?" Henry furrowed his brows trying to think back to that night. Elizabeth continued talking. "I didn't even realize I was so late until we started talking about pregnancies last night and it hit me. Then I kinda forgot again, but when I checked my calender earlier..." She went quiet waiting for his reaction.

"Oh baby, come here." He pulled her closer and she lay her head in his lap and she couldn't stop herself from tearing up. "I'm so sorry babe. I should have been more careful, I'll take full responsibility for this." Henry tried to apologize but Elizabeth quickly stopped him.

"It's not your fault. And we don't even know what's going on yet. I guess, we'll just have to wait until tomorrow morning to buy a test." Elizabeth got her brain back to work and tried to figure things out.

"You're right. I love you, no matter what." Henry leaned down to kiss her and she turned her head to accept his kiss.

"I love you too."

They stayed there for a while before Henry got up to fix them some dinner.

"Why don't you take a hot shower while I get the food ready?" He proposed and Elizabeth nodded her head before getting up and walking to the bathroom. She was glad that Henry stayed calm and gave her his full support, but she knew they weren't ready for a baby yet. She got out of the bathroom only wrapped in a towel and couldn't help but smile when she saw Henry entering the bedroom with plates in his hands.

"I thought under the given circumstances we could have dinner in bed?" He grinned at her and she sauntered over to him.

"Sounds perfect." She got settled under the blankets and Henry placed one of the plates in her lap and the other one on his side of the bed before he went back to the kitchen to retrieve the hot chocolate he had made for them.

"Voila, fresh sandwiches and hot chocolates in bed." He finally got settled next to her and they enjoyed their meal. Elizabeth felt much calmer afterwards and snuggled up to Henry.

"Sorry, I ruined your night like this." Elizabeth whispered into his neck and fiddled with his shirt.

"Well, your news were quite a surprise for me, but you didn't ruin anything. And having you here is always nice." He stroked her arm noticing that she was still only wrapped in a towel. "Are you could? I'll get your PJs." He tried to get up but Elizabeth held him back.

"No, I'm fine. Stay here." She nuzzled his neck and pressed open mouthed kisses on his skin. "Henry, will you make love to me?" Henry was more than surprised to hear her say that after the news she had just delivered to him.

"Are you sure? I mean that's what has gotten us here in the first place."

"I swear I took the pill this morning and if I'm pregnant already it won't hurt anyways." She pulled him down

to her and he slowly unwrapped her towel. "I just want you to show me how much you love me." Elizabeth murmured against his skin and he knew that it was more than that. She wanted to feel that she had his full support and that she could count on him and Henry was more then willing to give her that. He cherished her whole body in such a slow and loving way that left no doubt for her. They moved together as one and Elizabeth never felt safer in the world.

When she woke up the next morning, Henry's side of the bed was empty and the sheets were cold. She wondered where he went but looking at the alarm clock she thought that he might be out on a run. Before she could decide if she should get out of bed or back to sleep, the door cracked open and Henry entered with a bag and a bottle of water in his hand.

"Good morning sleepyhead." He came over to her side of the bed and pecked her.

"Hey, I was just wondering where you were." She pulled the sheets tighter around her and sat up.

"I went to the pharmacy to buy a pregnancy test. Two actually, just to be sure. Here drink this and then go and pee on these." He handed her the water bottle and the sticks. Suddenly, both of them were really tense not knowing how this would end. After she had downed the water she looked for some clothes to wear and Henry threw one of his shirts her way. She quickly pulled it on and went to the bathroom. After what felt like an eternity, Elizabeth finally opened the door and told him that they had to wait five minutes.

"Did you just go in there by yourself to buy the tests?" Elizabeth tried to take their minds off.

"Yeah, I did. You should have seen the woman's face at the counter. I think she'd never seen anything like this before." Henry chuckled at the memory.

"You truly are the perfect boyfriend." She caressed his cheek before entering the bathroom once again to check on the tests. It was eerily quiet for two minutes before Henry's voice echoed through the room.

"Ok, time is up. Let's see the results." He didn't dare to move but Elizabeth already compared the sticks.

"Oh my gosh, thank God. Both of them are negative!" She threw herself around Henry's neck and kissed him passionately. "I'm sorry for scaring you for nothing." She smiled at him but for some reason he didn't seem as happy as her. "Aren't you relieved?"

"Of course I am." Henry assured her.

"But?"

"Nothing. Just make sure you schedule an appointment with your gynecologist to get checked out, ok? I wanna be sure that you're absolutely healthy."

"I will, I promise. I can't believe I got freaked out over nothing. This is such a relieve!" She exhaled loudly looking up at him.

"Is it? Would it have been soo bad if you had been pregnant?"

"Henry, I'm a freshman. Of course it would have been bad. Not being pregnant I mean, but being pregnant now. Wait a minute, did you want us to have a baby?" Elizabeth suddenly realized what was going on.

"No, of course not. I mean, not for now but maybe in a couple of years?" He asked cautiously.

"Exactly. In a couple of years but not now."

" Ok."

"Good. Can we have breakfast now? I'm starving." They went into the kitchen and Henry made them some pancakes while Elizabeth already poured herself a second cup of coffee. "Thank God I'm not pregnant. I would have missed my coffee way too much."


	21. Move

A couple of days before Christmas, Elizabeth finally finished her last exam for the year and went out with her friends to celebrate. Delia and Natalie had finally reconnected so the three of them ended up partying together. They danced all night long to Delia's new boyfriend's music who was hired as a dj there before they called it a night early in the morning. Elizabeth went back to her dorm to get some sleep before Henry would get there to start packing. Elizabeth was really excited to move in with him but right now she just wanted to sleep and already regretted agreeing to do it today. She knew she would be out late with the girls, but Henry kept asking and pleading until she couldn't say no to him anymore. He himself had already finished his exams a couple days early and therefore was well rested and restless to get this move going. Laying her head down on the pillow, she closed her eyes and fell asleep hoping that Henry wouldn't come over too early. After what felt like only a couple minutes later, she was startled awake by a knock on her door.

"Mmmmm." She mumbled to let her guest in. Henry entered with a huge grin on his face and cardboard boxes under his arm.

"Jeez, Henry, it's only nine in the morning. How dare you? I told you I would be out late." She said and made him laugh.

"Good morning to you too." He chuckled and moved closer to her need to lean down and greet her with a kiss.

"Leave me alone. I want to sleep." She said before her head disappeared under the blanket.

"Wow, is that how it's gonna be like once we live together?" Henry ironically said while pulling the blanket up and getting himself settled next to her in bed making Elizabeth squeal.

"Ugh Henry, you're freezing cold." She tried to move away from him, but he held her tightly and pulled her closer to him.

"Sorry." He apologized while she finally gave up her reluctance and snuggled closer to him. A couple of minutes later, she was back in the world of dreams while Henry held her in his arms. After half an hour he carefully got out of bed making sure to not wake her again and started packing her clothes from the closet. Going through all of her stuff felt weirdly intimate and he hesitated at her underwear drawer but considering they were moving in together he decided it was fine. Once he was done with the closet he moved to grab her things from the desk. Henry just gathered all of her books when Elizabeth finally woke up again.

"Hey sleepy head. Are you ready to start the day now?" He jokingly said.

"Yeah." Looking around, she noticed that most of the boxes were already packed. "Did you already start packing?"

"Well, that's what I came over for. And I want this to be done tonight so I can sleep with you every night from today on."

"So that's it. You want to sleep with me every night." She cheekily looked at him.

"No, that's not what I meant..." He tried to defend himself.

"I know. I know. Just messing with you." She stood up and walked over to him.

"Thanks for doing this for me." She said and grabbed his hips. "Even if it means waking me early in the morning." She pinched his butt before turning away to look for a towel and some clothes.

"I left your jeans and jumper on the chair. The rest is already packed." Henry pointed to her clothes.

" Great. I'm gonna go shower quickly and then I'll help you." Elizabeth left the room with her shower stuff and Henry couldn't stop but smile at how easygoing she was. After she came back from her shower, they finished packing her stuff together even though Henry did most of the packing while she lazily went through her stuff.

"I'm starving. Can we take a break and get something to eat?" She asked holding her arms across her stomach to prove her point.

"Okay." Henry sighed but knew better than to disagree. He wanted to get the packing over with as soon as possible but keeping up with hungry Elizabeth was far worse than taking a few hours longer for the move. They walked to the cafeteria where Elizabeth got both of them some coffee and muffins plus a sandwich for herself.

"How was celebrating with Delia and Natalie last night?" Henry asked while watching her devour her food.

"It was so much fun. I met Delia's new boyfriend and he really is a sweetheart. Not as sweet as you though." She quickly reassured him with a wink.

"I'm glad Natalie and Delia made up. It was so sad to see that friendship fall apart just because of a guy." Henry said while eating his muffin.

"I know." They finished their food and walked back to her dorm afterwards. It didn't take too long for them to collect her things considering that her dorm room was pretty small and she didn't come with much stuff in the first place.

" Ok, I think we're done." Elizabeth stood in the middle of the room examining if they forgot anything.

"Yep, we are."

"I'm gonna miss this place. Even crazy Becky." She said in a sad voice realizing how much friends she made in their little dorm community.

"I know but it's not like you're moving to another city. You can always come back here and hang out with your friends." He tried to comfort her while rubbing his hand over her back in a soothing way.

Sighing loudly, she agreed. "You're right." Taking one more glance back, she grabbed her last bag. "Alright, let's go." They walked out hand in hand making their way to Henry's car.


	22. Roommates

A/N: _I have to admit I didn't really have any motivation to write lately and my new job kept me busy. Reading the latest reviews by AlohaBlackbird and re-reading Hard Rain again kinda helped me to get back to it though so here we go._

 _I'm sorry, it's a little mess. I'm going through some self-finding issues right now and this chapter has only been written every now and then in the past 2 months. My apologies!_

Elizabeth and Henry had settled quite well considering they only had one big fight since Elizabeth moved in and only because she refused to unpack all of her boxes. Henry kept arguing that she wouldn't feel home until everything was unpacked but Elizabeth said she wouldn't need the stuff right now and it would just take space. In the end, she gave in but Henry had to unpack while she watched him from the bed. Once he opened the box, he knew why she had hesitated and all the sudden he felt sorry for pushing her. Taking out her family photo album he looked at her apologetically. Elizabeth glared back at him with a sad look on her face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Henry walked over to her and sat down next to her placing one hand on her leg.

"It's fine. How could you? Let's just get it over with."

"No, you were right. We don't have to unpack it right away." Elizabeth was silent for a moment.

"You want to look at it?" She finally asked with a swift movement in direction of the book.

"Only if you're fine with that."

"I am."

Together they looked through Elizabeth's childhood photos, some of them made her smile and tell funny anecdotes and others just reminded her of deeply missing her parents. Once they were through, Henry embraced his girlfriend giving each other comfort in this moment of silence. He could feel her quiet tears soaking through his shirt which only made him tighten his hold of her to remind her that he was there, now and always. Henry felt incredibly sorry to see her in that much pain, but deep inside he knew that the grief she went through only made them stronger and closer. Nothing felt more intimate than holding his best friend and soulmate in her most vulnerable moments and he couldn't imagine how it must have felt to keep it hidden insight of her all these years.

Elizabeth was hurting, but she couldn't be more thankful to have her boyfriend by her side to go through this. His strong arms around her reminded her that she wasn't alone anymore and it gave her all the security she had been missing all these years. Even though they were only in their twenties, Elizabeth truly respected Henry for being so mature, more than anyone else she knew and she knew that he did too respect her for being his touchstone and peer in situations where others would only act foolish.

Letting go of each other, Elizabeth wiped her tears and went to clean herself up in the bathroom. Henry took that opportunity to unpack her last belongings and got rid of all the empty cardboard boxes.

Making his way to the kitchen he decided to make them some tacos with guacamole, knowing it was one of Elizabeth's guilty pleasures.

"Sorry for being such a mess sometimes. I don't know why I always get so emotional." Elizabeth apologized walking into their little kitchen.

"It's okay, honey. You don't always have to be the tough one. Besides, I love your emotional side. It reminds me that you need me just as much as I need you." Henry sweetly said before teasingly whispering. "Plus, it makes me look stronger and manly."

"You always look strong and manly, no matter what you do." Elizabeth responded in such honesty, it made his heart beat out of his chest. Trying to change the subject, she took a quick glance at the oven.

"Uh, yummy, you made my favorite! That screams for an reward." She turned around and pulled him closer to her, leaning over to give him a big smooch.

"You're the best roommate I ever had." She told him.

"And you're the best roommate I ever had." Henry earnestly replied. "Now, go and see what we can watch on TV while I get our food ready."

"Yes, sir!" Elizabeth giggled before heading out to the living room.


	23. Carol of the bells

Henry and Elizabeth spend Christmas with Henry's family in Pittsburgh. Even though Maureen was as cold as expected, she felt quiet comfortable in her boyfriend's family home after the warm welcome Henry's mum gave her. The McCords had a rather loud Christmas compared to the ones she was used to, but Elizabeth was more than glad to have people around her. Siblings fighting, hot chocolates at the fire and family gatherings around the tree, it all made her feel like being part of a family again. Henry himself was more than happy to be back home again and spend some time with all of his siblings. They had some silly snowball fights in the backyard and made bets on all kinds of things. He knew Elizabeth hasn't gotten as much attention from him as she was used to because he spend all his energy on his family, so when they lay in bed that night he tried to make up for it.

"Honey, I'm sorry I didn't spend that much time with you this weekend."

"No need to apologize. I know I can't always be your centre of attention. I'm glad you're having a good time with your family."

"Believe me, you're always the centre of attention with me. You might not always feel it, but my thoughts are always with you."

Elizabeth grinned and rolled on top of him to reward her boyfriend for that sweet comment.

"You're such a kiss ass, but I like it." She leaned down to give him a quick smooch, but Henry quickly got hold of her, pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. Once they broke apart for air, Elizabeth looked at him in surprise when he started to squeeze her butt and caress her spine.

RATED M

"Henry, what are you doing?" She whispered being very aware of the quiet house.

"I want to give you all the attention you deserve." He nibbled her ear while slightly grazing his hand towards her breast.

"Henry, are you insane? Your whole family is around and this bed is way to small." Elizabeth tried to roll back to her side, but he wouldn't let her.

"We can be quiet and this bed is not much smaller than your old dorm room bed. Come on, let me give you all the attention you deserve. Please?" He looked at her with begging eyes knowing she couldn't resist when he did that.

"Fine, but we have to be super quiet, ok? I don't want any snarky comments at breakfast tomorrow morning."

"Okay." With that he rolled them so he was on top of her and immediately went to undress her in between kisses. Pulling down her pyjama pants, he quickly got out of bed to take off his shirt and boxers before resting between her legs. He kissed his way up her stomach teasingly giving her love bites before paying full attention to her nipples. Elizabeth quietly moaned and reached down to bury her fingers in his hair. Getting impatient, she pulled his head up to kiss him while stroking his length. This time, it was his turn to moan into her mouth. Finally, she got him in the right position and he penetrated her slowly. When Henry moved in and out of her slowly, but in a constant rhythm she tried to keep quiet by burying her teeth in his shoulder. Henry quietly moaned into her ear, making her loose her mind. She grabbed his butt and spurred him on to go faster. When he felt himself coming, he quickly rubbed her clit, making her fall over the edge with him. Elizabeth's lips opened in a silent cry, her scream only audible in their minds. They calmed down in each others arms, catching their breaths and cooling down.

"That was amazing." Elizabeth said trying to hide a yawn.

"It was. I'm so glad you joined me on this trip." He replied while grazing her arms with his fingertips.

"Of course I did. It's our first Christmas together and I wouldn't have missed it for the world." She catched his fingers in her hand and brought them to her lips to kiss his knuckles. They lay silently in bed drifting into sleep until Elizabeth untangled herself from his hold and sat up to look around the room.

"What's wrong?" Henry sleepily asked.

"I'm looking for my shirt." Elizabeth replied trying to warm her shivering body.

"Come back here. I'll keep you warm." He tried to pull her down to him, but she shook him off.

"No, really, I'm freezing."

"Here, just wear this. He pulled one of his shirts from under his pillow and gave it to her. Elizabeth quickly put it on before lying back on bed.

"Thanks. That's much better." Henry spooned himself around her tiny body and couldn't resist to slip his hand under her shirt to rest on her belly button. Elizabeth moved her hand to rest on top of his and they intertwined their fingers.

Waking up the next morning, they spend some time to make themselves look presentable before gathering around the Christmas tree with the rest of the family where they had breakfast and exchanged presents. Elizabeth and Henry had decided to wait for each other's present until they were alone not wanting the family to interfere or ruin anything. After breakfast they went back to Henry's room, finally able to open their presents. Elizabeth gave him his present first. Henry could tell that she was nervous about it, so he gave her his best reassuring smile. He opened the wrapping and found a framed document in his name. Reading it, he realized what it was.

"Elizabeth, you bought a star for me?" He looked at her incredulously.

"I know it seems silly and if you don't like it just tell me. But I couldn't think of anything to buy you that could express how much you mean to me and how much I need you. So I thought, the best way to show you and remind you of my love is not something material, but something that is above us, untouchable by anyone else, like a star. That way, we can connect with each other even when we're oceans apart." She looked at him with a timid smile, hoping he would like that idea.

"Elizabeth, I absolutely love it. It's the best present I've ever gotten in my whole life." He leaned over to her and gave her a quick peck before handing her his present. "Now open yours."

Elizabeth quickly unwrapped it and held a leather book with an anchor on it in her hands. She opened it and read the first page.

 _1 year, 52 weeks, 365 days and 365 reasons I love you. Each day you bring joy and happiness into my life because of who you are and here are the reasons why._

Love,

Henry

Before Elizabeth could turn to the next page, Henry quickly stopped her. "Here's the deal. From January on, you get to read one reason for me to love you each day. No cheating, only one page a day." Before Henry knew what was happening, Elizabeth threw herself in his arms and peppered his face with kisses.

"I love you, I love you, I love you. This is the sweetest and most thoughtful present ever. Thank you."

They stayed in his room for a while, going through and commenting the presents given by the rest of the family knowing that nothing came even close to the ones they gave each other. After a while, they went downstairs to celebrate the holiday with the rest of the family oblivious to the joy that was radiating from them.


	24. Loud voices

"What do you want to do for New Year's?" Henry asked his girlfriend while they were walking back from their favorite burger place where they had dinner. They had just come back from Pittsburgh this afternoon and now enjoyed being able to stretch their legs.

"Oh, I already told Delia I would join her in Norfolk. We're going to have her uncle's house at the beach again. It'll be fun!" Elizabeth exclaimed not picking up in Henry's surprised face.

"You made plans without me?" He didn't even try to hide his disappointment.

"No, you can come of course!" She turned back to him when he suddenly stopped walking.

"Well, do you want me to come?" Henry asked with an angry tone in his voice.

"Of course I do. Why are you being so weird right now?"

"You just made plans for New Year's without even asking me. So yeah, I'm not exactly happy about that!" He explained himself.

"Well, you don't have to come if you don't want to. I thought you would like going back to that place, but obviously I was wrong." She tried to soothe him but only made it worse.

"No, I want to go. I'm just surprised that you didn't even think about including me in your planning. You know, since it's our first New Year's Eve together." He tried not to sound too accusing, but his feelings were definitely hurt. Elizabeth started to get mad at him, because she felt accused for no reason.

"Sorry, I didn't know we were married already and I had to include you in everything I do. You know what, just do whatever you want. I don't care. I'm definitely going to Norfolk, with or without you." With these words she let go of his hand and walked away from him, not caring about what he had to say. Realising what he had done, he tried to stop her.

"Elizabeth, wait. Can we please talk about this?" He called after her but she just ignored him and kept walking.

"Fine." Henry sighed and followed her but gave her enough space knowing that she needed some time away from him. They walked back to their apartment with a 10 metre distance between them, looking like strangers to other people. Standing in front of the apartment door, Elizabeth realised that she didn't have her key with her because Henry locked the door earlier. So she anxiously waited at the door for him to arrive and open it. Henry entered the hallway and immediately went to apologize.

"Elizabeth, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything. I just wish we would have made plans together. I don't want to spend New Year's without you. " Henry positioned himself in front of the door waiting for her to acknowledge him.

"Seriously, you're using the key to force me to talk to you?" She said in annoyance but with the slightest smile on her face.

"So we are okay?" Henry carefully asked.

"Yeah. I guess I should have included you when I talked to Delia, but I didn't think it was a big deal. And I thought you would be excited about going back to Norfolk with me. You know, since we had such a great time there." Elizabeth looked at him with her big puppy eyes and he couldn't be mad at her.

"I know. I am excited to go to Norfolk with you." He leaned down to kiss her, but instead of locking lips with him Elizabeth reached to steal the key out of his pocket.

"Got it." She said and stepped around him to open the door. Henry just sighed and followed her inside. "I'm going to take a shower." Elizabeth went to the bathroom and stopped in front of the door to call back to him. "You're more than welcome to join." She winked at him before disappearing behind the door. It didn't take long for Henry to follow, shedding his clothes on his way to the bathroom.

 _RATED M_

 _He entered the shower, positioning himself behind Elizabeth with her back pressed to his stomach. The hot water drizzled down on them, increasing their state of arousal. Henry passionately kissed his way down her neck and playfully bit her shoulder while cupping her breasts in his big hands. Elizabeth moaned softly while leaning against him with closed eyes. Feeling her boyfriend's erection poking her from behind she pushed her backside further into him to encourage his actions. Henry slid one hand down to her slick folds testing if she was ready for him and he was more than pleased with what he found._

 _"Baby, fuck me please." Elizabeth moaned, her hands placed against the wall for leverage. Henry didn't take long to follow her command. He wrapped his hand around his length to pump himself twice before entering her in one swift movement. Elizabeth cried out when she felt him deep inside and leaned down even further to give him better access._

 _"You feel amazing." Henry managed to bring out between moans before moving even faster. He pumped in and out of her with one arm wrapped tightly around her stomach while his other hand reached down to firmly massage her clit. Feeling his fingers stimulating her most sensitive area, she cried out loudly knowing she wasn't far from coming with Henry hitting her in a perfect angle. Seconds later she surprised herself and Henry by crying out his name in a loud, animalistic, high-pitched voice when she orgasmed with his penis buried inside her. It only took Henry a few more erratic thrusts before he emptied inside her calling out her name in doing so. He quickly pulled out of her and they washed their sweaty bodies before exhaustively leaving the shower._

 _"Wow, that was amazing. And loud." Henry said to her while wrapping a towel around her body._

 _"I know." She replied with a grin already forgotten about their fight earlier._


	25. To old friends

It was the day of New Year's, Elizabeth and Henry drove up to Norfolk early in the morning hoping the roads wouldn't be too bad. It had snowed a lot in the past few days and the traffic in the city was insane. They slowly made their way through the streets with Elizabeth driving the car while Henry was sleeping in the passenger's seat, because he didn't get much sleep the night before due to his brother having a crisis and calling Henry in the middle of the night. After hours of talking and Henry doing some research, they eventually resolved it but by the time they were done it already dawned. Even though Elizabeth didn't like driving that much, she offered to drive them up to Norfolk seeing that Henry would only fall asleep behind the wheel. She maneuvered the car through the slippery streets only putting more pressure on the gas when they had left the city behind. She glanced over at Henry, but he was out like a light, his head leaning against the window frame and his mouth slightly open. Feeling herself getting tired, she decided to take a break in Richmond and get some coffee. Stopping the car on a parking lot, she quietly got out and walked over to the nearest shop. While she was gone, Henry slowly stirred wondering where they were. He turned his head to face Elizabeth only now realizing that she wasn't in the car with him. Looking around he finally saw her exiting a coffee shop and walking across the lot.

"Hey sleepy head." She greeted him upon entering the car.  
"Hi. I was wondering where you were." He mumbled drowsily.  
"I just needed some coffee and move my legs." She leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Are you feeling better?" They both knew she referred to his grumpiness this morning that was a result of a sleepless night.  
"Yeah, I'm sorry about this morning. I didn't mean to be such a jerk." Henry tried to apologize.  
"I know. You were just tired. I get it." Elizabeth started the car and they continued their little road trip. "We're only in Richmond so there's plenty of time for you to catch up on your sleep." Elizabeth assured him knowing him well enough to see that he was still way to tired. "Remember you have to make it at least until midnight." She grinned at him before he slowly closed his eyes to go back to sleep.

Later that day, they arrived at the beach house in Norfolk with Delia and her DJ-boyfriend already being there.  
"Bess, it's so good to see you! I missed you." Delia came running towards her as soon as she entered the threshold. They hadn't seen each other for two weeks and had only talked to each other briefly on the phone. They shared a long hug that was only interrupted by the phone ringing.  
"Excuse me, that's probably Natalie. I'll better get that." Delia excused herself and made a run for the phone.  
"Did she just say Natalie?" Elizabeth raised a brow knowing to well that her two friends didn't get along anymore since Natalie decided to date Delia's ex-boyfriend Josh.  
"You didn't know?" Delia's boyfriend asked. "They had an endless conversation on the phone last night. Apparently, Natalie and Josh broke up a while ago and she apologized for the whole mess she created. Long story short, Delia decided to give her another chance and invited her to celebrate with us tonight." Elizabeth's face was full of surprise but she couldn't be happier that her two best friends had finally started talking again. She walked over to Delia to talk to her while Henry busied himself with putting their stuff into one of the bedrooms.

When it was time for lunch their prepared a spinach salad with an oven baguette. They used their time together to catch up on recent events and the latest gossip. After lunch, Natalie and her little sister arrived to join the group. Before it could get awkward between Delia and Natalie, Elizabeth proposed to go for a walk on the beach. The group of six made their way to the windy beach packed in warm winter jackets and boots. Delia, Natalie and Elizabeth slowed down a little to put some distance between the two groups before they started talking. Natalie was the first to speak.  
"I'm so incredibly sorry for what I've done. Delia, I should have never ever stolen your boyfriend. I don't even know what to say. It was stupid and I was so in love that I couldn't think clearly anymore. Also Elizabeth, I know I put you in a shitty position and I apologize for that."  
Natalie, stop!" Delia interrupted. "It's okay. We know you are sorry and I was more than mad at you but let's just leave the past behind. The year is almost over and I don't want to fight anymore. What happened is done and we can't change it now. Let's just forget about it and start from the beginning."  
"I agree. I don't wanna think about all of this anymore and I'm sick of being the middle-person between you two." Elizabeth continued receiving nods from both of her friends.  
"Thank you. Girls, you know that your friendship means more to me than anything else. I'm so sorry that it took a guy to make me realize that. I love you both so much!" Natalie stopped walking and turned towards them. Elizabeth just threw her arms around Natalie and Delia quickly joined the group hug. They stood still on the beach, their hair blowing in the wind and only their giggles audible to the world. After a few moments, they separated themselves from each other and ran towards the rest of the group to catch up with them.

A little out of breath, Elizabeth reached her boyfriend and took his hand in hers.  
"Hi babe. are you okay?" Henry gently asked.  
"I couldn't be better. I'm so glad that Delia and Natalie are friends again. It's just such a relief and I'm happy you're here with me." Elizabeth pulled his hand and Henry turned to face her. She quickly cupped his cheek and he leaned down to kiss her. She heard Delia whistling from behind but she didn't care. right now, she was just glad to be here with the love of her life and her two best friends. The new year couldn't start any better!


	26. Celebrating the new year

_This chapter is pure smut, just because I felt like it._

It was two hours after midnight when Henry and Elizabeth decided to finally go to bed after welcoming the new year. The group had played games until midnight and later on welcomed the new year with firecrackers on the beach. Elizabeth was happier than ever and persuaded that now that she had both of her girls back together, the new year could only get better. Ever since the kiss she and Henry shared at midnight, he couldn't keep his hands off her. He gently put his hand on her ass every now and then or stroked her back. So it wasn't a surprise for her that he dragged her into their bedroom at two in the morning, finally having her for his own.

 _RATED M_

Once the door fell closed behind them, he groped her body and pulled her towards him. Roaming every part of her he could reach, Henry slowly opened the buttons of her blouse without his mouth leaving her lips. Breaking apart for air, Henry seductively grinned at her while bringing his big hands up to squeeze her breasts. He felt her nipples hardening under her bra, sending shivers down his spine. He quickly reached around and opened the clasp of her bra to let her breasts fall free. Not missing a beat, he leaned down to suck on her peaks. Elizabeth moaned loudly and buried her hands in his thick hair. Moments later, she pulled him up to her mouth to suck on his lips. Her hands trailed down to the hem of his shirt quickly pulling it over his head. Once he stood bare chest in front of her, she trailed her fingers down over his body to the zipper of his jeans. Opening them, Henry could see the mischievous glare in her eyes before her hands disappeared in his boxers to pump his dick. He hardened immediately under her touch and couldn't keep from rocking his hips into her. Satisfied with the result, Elizabeth pulled her hands out and freed him of his clothing. When he stood naked in front of her, she pushed him down on the bed and made him sit in front of her. Before he knew what was happening, Elizabeth kneed down between his legs and took his erection in her mouth. She slid up and down the length of him, always licking his underside like he loved it. Henry couldn't keep his hips from thrusting into her mouth while he held her head to make her take him deeper in her throat. Knowing that he was close to orgasm, she focused on his tip and licked the head of him with varying pressure. Feeling him stiffen, she took him all in again and he released his seams in her throat. Swallowing his cum, she gave him one last suck before releasing him. Henry quickly grabbed her body throwing her down on the bed next to him.

"That was absolutely amazing babe." Henry panted, still out of breath from coming down from his high. He let his eyes wander over her naked body before opening the zipper of her jeans and pulling them down with her panties in one swift motion. He moved to lie down between her legs and kissed his way up her thighs before licking the length of her slit to her clit. He knew that she was already turned on from giving him a blow job, however, Henry was more than surprised to feel how wet she was. He heard her panting and her thighs were quivering next to his head. Henry went to suck her sensitive spot and before he knew it, her entire body jolted. Knowing that she waa almost there, he pushed two fingers inside of her putting pressure on the right spot and she went flying over the edge. He felt her whole body contacting around him and her scream was only muffled by his hand that he quickly put on her mouth to not alarm their friends of what they were doing.

"Are you ok?" Henry asked with a vicious grin on his face.

"Perfect." Elizabeth said with a shaky voice.

Henry himself hardening again and reached down to pump himself. He couldn't hide from moaning when he touched himself and Elizabeth found it unbelievable irresistible. She went to straddle him and slowly slid down his length. Still sensitive from her orgasm she cried out every time he hit her right spot. They quickly picked up the pace but Henry knew that this position wasn't enough for him. After several moments, he pulled out of her and made her lie on her stomach. Henry swatted her bottom before guiding his penis to her opening. Henry buried himself inside her with such force that Elizabeth cried out from pain. He let her adjust for a second before he started to move his hips frantically against her. Their sweaty bodies slipped against each other and Henry slapped her bottom every now and then, knowing how much of a turn on it was for her. Reaching one hand around under her stomach, Henry pulled her up a bit to create more friction. The change of angle was too much for Elizabeth. Her orgasm hit immediately and she released a scream into the pillows. Her entire body contacted around him, but Henry kept bucking into her in a frantic pace, chasing his own release. He shortly pulled himself out of her before hardly penetrating her again, he gave one last firm thrust before releasing his seams and collapsing on top of her. He was still buried inside of her and didn't bother about his shrinking arousal. Once they catched their breaths, they untangled themselves from each other before turning to lie on their sides.

"Happy New Year, Elizabeth. I love you." Henry whispered to her, sleep already taking over.

"Best way to start a year. I love you too, more than anything." Elizabeth replied before closing her eyes.


	27. It's gonna be okay

After enjoying the rest of their New Year's trip, the two lovebirds were back on campus preparing for classes that were starting in a couple of days. Elizabeth lay on the floor with her notebook in front of her and finished one of her papers while Henry read through some of his notes. Noticing that the sound of Elizabeth's keyboard tapping had stopped he looked up to find her starring at him. She seemed to be far away in thoughts, her eyes not really focusing on anything in particular.

"Are you okay?" Henry asked while putting away his notes.

"What?" Elizabeth finally focused on him and looked at him with her big blue eyes.

"You seemed to have drifted off somewhere." He explained. " What were you thinking about?"

"I don't know." Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. "Do you think the new year feels any different?" She asked biting her lip in the slightest way.

"No, not really. I mean, I guess it started better than the last one, because I have you by my side but other than that it still feels the same to me. What about you?" Henry replied.

"No, you're right. It's not really different. I just... It's silly, but suddenly your deployment feels so close, you know?" Elizabeth quietly said not wanting to ruin the relaxing mood they were in. "I mean it's silly, because we're only a couple of days closer, but suddenly it's the same year. The year you're going to be deployed."

"Yeah, I know. But babe, listen to me. It's still far away and we don't even know if I really have to go. I mean, there's still a chance they won't need me and I can just stay here with you." Henry tried to calm his girlfriend.

"Keep telling that to yourself. We both know that won't happen! But you're right. It's too early to stress about that. I was just wondering what's gonna happen to us once this year is coming to an end. Never mind." She tried to brush it off quickly, already regretting telling him what she was thinking about.

"Elizabeth, I know you are scared. I am too. But we are gonna make it. I'll probably have to leave you here by yourself for a couple of months, but I promise I'm gonna come back to you. You know what, let's see the positive side of all of this. We're going to have a little break from each other and it will give us time to grow and develop ourselves. We'll miss each other deeply, but it's gonna remind us how much we love each other. In the end, we'll be stronger than ever. I promise. It's gonna be okay." He spoke with so much confidence that Elizabeth just had to believe him. She moved over to where he was sitting on the couch and snuggled up to him.

"You really are a man of words. I have to admit, I don't think I'll manage on my own ever again. Who is gonna cook for me? I'm going to starve once you're gone!" She jokingly said.

"Don't worry, I'll tell my mum to look after you. She's your family too, you know. Everything will be fine." Henry assured.

"No, it won't, because my heart is going to ache. I love you so much, it almost hurts." Elizabeth said in a serious tone and gazed into his hazel brown eyes.

"I know. I feel the same. I wish we could just stop time and never leave this place." He admitted to her.

"No, that would be horrible too. Because then we would never get the chance to grow old together." Elizabeth's cheeks immediately flushed when she realized what she had just said. "I... uhmm... what I meant to say was..."

"You're right. I want to grow old with you. You're the love of my life and I can't imagine myself being with anyone else than you." Henry stroked her arm and suddenly knew exactly what he had to do. It hit him like a flashlight and he didn't know why he hadn't thought about it sooner.

This year is gonna be the year.


	28. Liar

Ever since the other night, Henry couldn't stop thinking about it. He had already made a plan and looked at different rings. He was supposed to sneak out again tonight to buy once while Elizabeth was going to go to the movies with Delia. Henry's thoughts were interrupted when Elizabeth entered the room who just came back from her last class for the day.

"Hey, do you want to go to the movies with me tonight?" Elizabeth asked while sitting down on the couch.

"I thought you were gonna go with Delia?" Henry frowned, hoping he could still sneak out tonight.

"That was the plan, but she still has to deal with a paper. Looks like it's just going to be me and you tonight." She said while making herself more comfortable by resting her head on a pillow.

"I'm sorry, but I actually made plans..." Henry tried to explain without hurting her feelings.

"Oh, you did? With who?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

"I was going to meet Adam to help him with some stuff. He's really behind and I couldn't say no. plus, I thought you wouldn't be here tonight, so..." Henry hate lying to her but he simply couldn't tell her the truth without ruining the surprise. Fortunately, his girlfriend didn't seem suspicious at all.

"That's alright. I might just go on my own. maybe I'll meet someone I know." Elizabeth said while walking towards the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower. I'll see you later?"

"Sure. I won't be too long." Henry replied and grabbed his coat to leave the apartment. He knew exactly which ring he was going to buy for Elizabeth and he couldn't wait to finally get it.

* * *

The next morning Elizabeth woke up before Henry and watched him sleep. He really was a handsome man and she didn't know what she did to deserve him. Still, she was bothered by the fact that Henry had lied to her last night. She wasn't aware of it until she went to the cinema where she ran into a couple of guys she knew - one of them being Adam. Elizabeth had casually asked him about having plans with Henry, but he clearly had no idea what she was talking about leaving behind an embarrassed Elizabeth. When she returned home later, Henry was already in bed sleeping and she didn't want to confront him right then. Now, she couldn't help but wonder why he had lied to her. Was he seeing someone else? No, he wasn't a cheater, was he? Her mind went spiraling and she tried to calm herself down.

"Don't be silly, Elizabeth. I bet there's a simple explanation for him lying to you." She said to herself. Henry stirred and she leaned down to peck his cheek. "Good morning, babe."

"Hi." He said while giving her the widest smile.

"How was your night last night?" Elizabeth confronted him directly not giving him any chance to make up an excuse.

"It was okay. Adam was so behind, but we really got a lot done." Henry said while letting his hand wander down to Elizabeth's hips and in between her legs. He would rather have sex now than to talk about his made-up alibi.

"Henry, stop." Elizabeth grabbed his wrist and pulled it away from her. "I know you're lying. You weren't with Adam last night. I ran into him at the cinema. So where were you?" Elizabeth said accusingly.

"I...I was..." Henry didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry. i didn't mean to lie to you."

"Well, you did. Just answer my question please." Elizabeth tried to stay calm. When Henry stayed silent, she assumed the worst. "Oh my god, are you seeing someone else?"

"No, of course not! I would never do that to you!" Henry quickly interrupted her. "Believe me, I would never ever cheat on you." He tried to reassure her.

"Then where were you last night? Why won't you just tell me?" Elizabeth started to lose her patience.

"I was in town, okay? I just needed some... some time for myself." Henry tried to explain.

"Okay... Why wouldn't you just tell me that last night? You can have all the space you need, you just have to ask for it." Elizabeth said in confusion, wondering what the hell was going on with her boyfriend.

"I know. I just didn't want to upset you. I'm sorry. It won't happen again." He assured her and put his hand back in between her legs. "Can we focus on this now?" He asked with a grin, leaning down to kiss her while pushing away her panties to feel her slick folds. Elizabeth moaned loudly and passionately kissed him back.

"I'm still mad at you for lying." She said in between kisses.

"I'll make it up to you." Henry promised while kissing his way down her body.

"You'll better." She managed to get out before closing her eyes and bathing in absolute bliss.

* * *

It was Friday afternoon and Elizabeth was walking over campus with Delia next to her. She was just telling her about Henry's weird behavior the other day hoping for some good advice.

"As much as I hate to say it, it doesn't sound good!" Delia honestly told her.

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth said in confusion.

"Your guy lying to you because he needed space? Sounds to me like he's looking for a way out. As much as I like Henry, maybe he's finally letting us see his flaws?" Usually, Elizabeth loved Delia's directness, but right now, she just hated it.

"You mean, you think he wants to break up with me?" Elizabeth asked in shock.

"Maybe. Or maybe he just wants to loosen things. Taking everything a little slower." Delia assumed.

"You're scaring me." Elizabeth admitted.

"Maybe I'm completely off the tracks, but as your friend I advise you to be prepared for the worst. I have to go now, but I'll see you around." Delia left, leaving Elizabeth alone in the middle of the crowds.

"Elizabeth, hey, can I talk to you?" Somebody called from behind and she turned to see Adam walking towards her. Hell, if Henry could loosen things than so could she.

"Sure. How about coffee?" She replied with a smile and they walked towards the cafeteria.


	29. freak-out

Elizabeth knew what she was doing was wrong. She shouldn't be sitting in the campus cafeteria with one of Henry's friends who was clearly interested in her. But what Delia said to her really messed with her. If Henry needed space, he could have it. If he wanted to break up with her, he could do it. But she was going to show him what he was going to lose. Using Henry's friend really wasn't a good idea, but he happened to be there. Her phone vibrated on the table and she saw that Henry was calling again, but she just ignored it. Adam was a really nice guy, but also kind of boring to talk to. Looking at her watch, she noticed that she should have been home an hour again. Henry would be more than worried by now and suddenly she felt sorry for standing him up. Honestly, who was Delia to tell her that Henry was trying to distance himself from her. Elizabeth excused herself and quickly hugged Adam goodbye before walking to her apartment.

"Elizabeth, what the hell? Where were you? I was worried sick!" Henry greeted her, sounding mad and relieved at the same time.

"Sorry. I had coffee with Adam and I kinda forgot the time." She said, hiding the fact that she had stood him up on purpose.

"I called you like a hundred times." Henry said while embracing her.

"Sorry." Elizabeth felt really sorry about her behavior by now. Henry was really worried about her and she misused her trust.

"Why did you have coffee Adam?" Henry suddenly asked.

"He asked me out and I thought why not. He's obviously a nice guy, but you know that. He's your friend." Elizabeth defended herself.

"Right. He's my friend, so why are you having coffee with him, alone? Were you just on a date with Adam?" Henry tried to figure out why his girlfriend was hanging out with his friends behind his back.

"Don't be silly. It wasn't a date. It was more like a get-together, you know? Why does that even bother you? He knows that I'm with you." She tried to calm him.

"Yes and I know that that hasn't bothered him before. Why are you even doing this? Are you trying to hurt me?" Henry couldn't hide his jealousy anymore and Elizabeth felt bad about messing with him.

"Of course not. I..." Elizabeth didn't know how to defend her silly behavior. "Listen, you needed space and I gave it to you. So now I'm asking you the same. Let it go, okay?" She walked past him trying to end this conversation, but he wouldn't let it go.

"You want space? That's what all of this is about? Because I lied to you the other night?" Henry suddenly knew where this was coming from.

"Maybe I just wanted to hang out with somebody without you knowing, okay? I don't need to be controlled all the time. I know what I'm doing!" Elizabeth snapped, regretting her words as soon as she said them. She knew that Henry was only so protective because he cared about her.

"Fine. You want space? You can have as much of it as you want!" Henry shouted angrily. He couldn't believe her right now. He took his jacket and car keys and left the apartment. Sitting in his car, he was trying to figure out what had just happened. He thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with Elizabeth and now they had broken up over nothing? Who was he to freak out over nothing? It must be the nerves he told himself. He was so worked up about the proposal that he couldn't think clearly anymore. Thankful that it was Friday, he decided to visit his parents over the weekend to figure things out. He was sure that Elizabeth needed some distance from him right now, so he only texted her to let her know that he'll be at his parents for the weekend. Starting the car, he left the parking lot thinking about what an idiot he was right now.


	30. The proposal

It's been three days. Three days since Henry had left their apartment after their silly fight. He hadn't heard from Elizabeth ever since and hoped he hadn't lost her yet. Being without her for three days had shown him that he needed her more than he ever thought possible. Hell, this whole break-up convinced him that he needed to marry her, but he didn't know if she still felt the same about him. It was late in the afternoon when he finally reached his apartment hoping that Elizabeth would still be there. Henry felt his legs shaking when he got out of the car, he never felt so nervous. Everything had to go as planned tonight. Out of courtesy, he knocked on their apartment door before letting himself in.

"Elizabeth?" He called, already thinking that she wasn't here when she finally emerged from the bathroom with damp hair.

"You're back." She said in a neutral tone not knowing how to react to him.

"Babe, I am so so sorry! Please, forgive me. I didn't mean to control you. I was just worried and jealous and..." before he could continue, he was interrupted by Elizabeth.

"Stop! I'm sorry too. I was mad and confused because I thought you were going to leave me and then I decided to hurt you by going out with Adam. I did that on purpose, okay? It was my fault. But Delia said that distancing yourself from me was going to lead to a break-up and I got scared. I didn't want to lose you. I'm sorry." Elizabeth apologized and hoped he would understand.

"Come here." He opened his arms and embraced her never wanting to let her go again." After a couple of minutes, he looked at his watch and loosened his grip on her. As much as I love this, I'm on a tight schedule here. I need to show you something."

"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth was more than confused about him having made plans for them.

"Trust me, you'll love it." He took her jacket and helped her to put it on. They left the apartment hand in hand with Henry leading them to the park.

"Henry, where are we going?" She asked again, wondering why he was acting so weird.

"We're almost there. Just wait." He led her to their favorite spot on the hill and turned her to look at the sky. Not seeing anything but the blue sky, she turned to her boyfriend in confusion.

"What do you want me to see?" When she turned to Henry, he looked at her with such an serious expression that she decided to keep quiet.

"Elizabeth, you're the most important person in my life. I know the last three days were a mess and I'm sorry for that, but they also showed me how much I need you. I don't want to wake up in the morning without you. I don't want to go through the day without your laugh, smile and the constant desire to eat. I don't want to read a book without you constantly interrupting me, because of something funny you want to tell me. I don't want to watch a movie without you crying over sad scenes. I don't want to go to bed without your legs wrapped around me. But most importantly, I don't want to live without my heart beating for you. You're the most beautiful women on earth, the smartest and kindest human being and my only soulmate. I love you more than I can ever tell you, you're the love of my life. And that's why I want to show you this." He finished his little speech and turned her to see the sky where a skywriter currently made it's round: " _Mar me Elibeth"_  
Elizabeth turned to Henry in confusion and what she saw made her chin drop. Henry was positioned in front of her on his knee with a small box in his hand.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I hope you feel the same. So will you please marry me?" Henry asked while opening the box to show her the ring.

"Yes, Yes, Yes!" She called excitedly. He pulled Henry up on his feet and kissed him passionately before embracing him lovingly. "Oh my gosh, I love you so much. There's nothing I'd rather do than to marry you." She kissed him again and he took the ring to place it on her ring finger.

"I'm so glad. And I'm sorry about the skywriter. He was on discount, now I know why." Henry apologized.

"It worked didn't it?" Elizabeth chuckled while looking at her sparkling ring. "Wow, it's gorgeous, Henry. I absolutely love it."

"I love you." Henry said and swooped her up in his arms.

"I love you too." Elizabeth said while wrapping her legs around his waist. "I can't believe we're engaged just after we broke up." She jokingly said.

"Hey, we didn't break up. I just needed some time to freak out. And by the way, I never needed space. I only needed some time to buy this ring. That's where I was the night you went to the movies." Henry explained the whole misunderstanding.

"Now, I feel even worse about this whole thing. I'm sorry I was such a bitch. You clearly didn't deserve that. And just so you know, that date with Adam was really boring." Elizabeth admitted.

"So it was a date?" Henry asked curiously.

"Oh shut up! I'm yours and only yours!" Elizabeth whispered into his ear.

"Show me." Henry demanded.

"I will. As soon as we are home." She said in an seductive voice.

"Let's go then." She could already feel Henry hardening and she felt herself getting aroused. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he led them down the hill to the park exit taking the fastest way home. He couldn't wait to celebrate his engagement with his fiance.


End file.
